xThe Sand and Dragon Riders: First Impressions
by Dustnblood
Summary: 'Someone's character is defined when the flames of tribulation try to break the person that they are; and then doing what is right anyways; regardless of the odds they're against, the rewards that may try to sway them, or those who they fight. Then, when the trial is over, the person will be seen as the person they wanted to be seen as.' A new series I'm writing! Hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here it is! My new series. I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the dragon boarder series. Have fun and have a great day! Enjoy!**

Chapter One

"There it is!" Hiccup shouted, pointing to the new island he and Toothless discovered a month ago. It took that long to come back to actually explore it because Hiccup was busy with chief duties. Now that he was free, he thought it was a perfect reason for a getaway with Astrid. Turning to Astrid who was following closely behind, he then asked "What do you think?"

"Wow…you weren't kidding about how much sand was here!" Astrid replied, guiding Stormfly to glide closer to Toothless

Hiccup laughed and replied with "You always doubt me!" Looking ahead at the massive sand hills, Hiccup then said "From what I was able to explore, the sand goes as far as I can see! It's a legit desert!"

"How far south are we?" Astrid asked, letting Stormfly skim right above ocean.

"Far enough where we can get away from the cold!" Hiccup laughed "I mean come on! Middle of winter and I can shed a layer of my armor! Toothless then roared in agreement. Letting one of his wings slice through the water, Toothless then roared again, this time shooting a plasma blast ahead. It was obvious he was excited to be able to fly with Hiccup to a new land. He loved exploring just as much as his trainer did!

"I guess Toothless is pretty excited about getting away from Berk." Astrid said laughing, shaking her head the excited black dragon.

"To be honest, I am too." Hiccup replied, sitting back on his saddle. He let Toothless glide along the sandy beach as he continued "I'm so tired from chiefing…I mean, yesterday, Not-So-Silent Sven kept on going about how his sheep keep on-"

"Hiccup!" Astrid cut off, glaring at him "We're not on Berk. We're away, we're alone, and we're not talking about anything with chiefing!"

Smiling, Hiccup just nodded and said "Fine! I guess I'll agree to that." Returning his gaze to the massive sand dunes, he then pointed at one that stood above all the others and said "Come on, let's have our lunch on that hill over there."

"Ugghh, finally!" Astrid moaned loudly, guiding Stormfly towards the dune "I've been starving for the last hour!"

Laughing, Hiccup urged Toothless to speed to the hill. Circling the peak, he saw that it was flat enough for them to be able to have their picnic. Letting Toothless gently land, he then dismounted off and immediately felt his feet sink a few inches in the sand. His prosthetic went a little farther since it wasn't as wide as his foot. Slowly walking up to Astrid, who was grabbing the bags with their food off Stormfly, he then said "Wow…the sand's a lot looser that what we're used to." At that, he extended his hand out and helped Astrid with one of the bags.

"It's weird." Astrid observed, kneeling down and running the sand through her fingers "Its right next to an ocean, yet the sand is almost bone dry!"

"It's kind of eerie…" Hiccup said, walking to the peak of the dune. Taking a seat, he then proceeded to open his bag up. He then continued to say "I mean look! There's no end to it!"

Astrid then took a seat next to him, flopping her bag in the sand. Before she could say anything, shade suddenly appeared above the two. Both of them turned to see both Toothless and Stormfly lay down behind them with their wings raised, protecting their trainers from the sun.

"Well that's kind of you!" Astrid said with a smile "Thank you Stormfly and Toothless!" At that, she pulled out two slices of dried fish and tossed one to each dragon.

Hiccup laughed as he also tossed them some of his fish. Turning to Astrid, he then said "I'm so glad we were able to get away! I mean seriously, I can't remember the last time I trained we had a moment with each other."

"You mean when you weren't spending a day goofing off?" Astrid said with a tease in her voice.

"Hey! I'm Chief of Berk!" Hiccup shot back with a grin "I might just assign you stable duty in the dragon hanger for a week!"

"I love you Hiccup, but I have limits!" Astrid threatened. "I can't really remember, who won the last 20 combat training sessions? Can you refresh my memory hmm?"

"Fine!" Hiccup said with a wide smile. Taking a bite out of a piece of fish, he then said "I don't goof off anymore! Don't have time."

Astrid then made her voice whiney, and said "Take care of the village Gobber! I'm heading off to Burned Toe Beach to check out a new dragon!" Shifting her shoulders up and down, she could help but laugh at her own impersonation of Hiccup.

"Hey! First off, it was a new dragon! And secondly, I stopped the shoulder thing!" Hiccup said, defending himself "And that new dragon is called a Sand Wraith!"

"I know, but no matter what, you still find time to goof off!" Astrid said, teasing still in her voice "Take this place for example! You left Berk in the middle of the night to find this place!"

"I know, I know;" Hiccup replied, looking at the infinite sand dunes "give me a small break will ya'?"

Smirking, Astrid then punched Hiccup in the arm. Seeing him recoil back in surprise, she then changed the subject by asking "So, what kind of name are you thinking for this desert?"

Smiling at the subject, Hiccup then said "I was thinking of Careless Beach. Because both times I've been here, I just wanted to sit and do nothing."

"Fitting." Astrid said while shaking her head at the reason "But I think you want to do stuff, just nothing to do with being chief."

"Well, I guess that's true…" Hiccup answered quietly.

"What about Getaway Desert?" Astrid asked leaning against the sand dune.

"You know, I like that a lot more than Careless Beach." Hiccup replied with a smile, taking a bite out of a piece of chicken.

Smiling, Astrid just stared out at the dunes. After a few minutes of silence, she then asked a second question. "So…what's the plan for today?"

"Well…I need to update the map first off." Hiccup replied, standing up to get to flatter ground "Then after, I was thinking we could go for a walk on the beach. Let the dragons play in the sand while we just…I don't know…talk?'

Astrid just smiled at Hiccup glad to know that he was setting aside time for each other.

"And since it's a long flight back home, I was thinking we could stay the night. You know. To rest up before we head back." Hiccup added, smiling at Astrid.

"I'd like that." Astrid replied with a smile of her own "Give us a break from the saddle."

Smiling, Hiccup then walked to where the dune flattened out a little, pulling out his map in the process. Spreading it out, he then grabbed his pencil. Holding it out to Astrid, he then asked "Wanna start for me?"

* * *

"There ya' go…" Kyle grunted, sliding the sand tire onto the wheel of his green KFX 450 four wheeler. Grabbing the wheel nuts, he then began to hand tighten them.

"Wow…not wasting any time then?" Jake asked, walking behind his brother.

Kyle turned to Jake with a smile, revealing the scruffy face and shaggy black hair. Wearing a pair of black Oakley Sunglasses, his smile seemed to be brighter than the sun reflecting off the sand.

"Well, you see Jake," Kyle began to explain "unlike you, I wasn't able to put the sand paddles on before we left. Now that I only have an hour of day light left, I figured I'd make the most out of it."

"Should have come out here with me instead of mom and dad." Jake replied, handing Kyle a socket wrench "I've been riding all day."

"I couldn't miss work." Kyle replied, tightening the nuts even more so "Had to finish up checking the warehouse inventory."

"Could have just taken the day off." Jake said laughing, extending his hand to help his brother up.

"Said the guy who doesn't work." Kyle teased, taking the hand. Feeling himself hoisted up, he quickly began to dust off the sand. "How's the police academy anyways?"

"Done. I signed on with a local police department up in Nevada." Jake said with a smile "I begin in two weeks."

Kyle stared at his brother in shock "When did this happen!? You never told me how soon you were leaving!"

Laughing at his brother's shocked expression, Jake then explained "I was waiting to tell you tomorrow. You know, New Year's Day."

Shaking his head, Kyle grabbed his brother in a hug and said "Congrats man! That's the best news I've heard in a long time!"

"Kyle! Jake! Come say bye! We're leaving!" Their dad's voice called out from inside their massive camp trailer. The thing was 40 feet long and had enough room to not only haul their four-wheelers and side-by-side, but also had a master bedroom with a fireplace and a big enough kitchen that would rival some homes.

Kyle then followed Jake inside with a smile. For a New Year's holiday, it was actually going to be a lonely one for him. Though the family decided to have a family vacation at Dumont Dunes in California, their parents were going to Las Vegas to celebrate the New Year; and Jake was going to be with his friends that set up camp elsewhere in the dunes. Then everyone would come back in two days to spend the rest of the week as a family. But still, two days alone was going to make for a long holiday.

"Well…think you'll do alright without us?" his dad asked, walking out of the trailer.

"Dad…Jake's 23, and I'm 21. I think we'll be fine." Kyle replied, slightly annoyed.

"Remember, make sure you lock the trailer up when you go for a ride. I don't want anyth-"

"Dad! We know!" Kyle said loudly, rolling his eyes "It's not like I have my own quad to take care of."

"Don't worry dad. We'll take care of everything." Jake said laughing, resting his hand on Kyle's shoulder.

Smiling, he then began to walk towards the truck that hauled the trailer. His mom then walked out carrying her bag. "I left some barbeque chicken in the fridge. We'll have the steaks when we come back."

"Really? That was like the one thing I was really looking forward to eating!" Kyle said, looking down with a depressed look.

"Hey my friends are having steak tonight. Wanna come party with us?" Jake suggested.

"Heh, well thanks but no thanks. I'm going to Skype Rachel tonight." Kyle said with a smile. Turning back to his mom, he hugged her and said "Drive safely. Don't have too much fun!"

"Thanks sweetie. Have fun tonight! I left you a surprise in the fridge." His mom said with a smile.

"Is it an alcoholic beverage?" Kyle asked with a grin.

"A case of Hard Lemonade." His mom said, smiling at Kyle.

"My favorite!" Kyle said laughing. Watching his mom get in their truck, he called out "Seriously, drive safe. Traffics going to be bad going to Vegas."

Watching her close the door to the truck, it then started up and drove over the sand towards the exit of the dunes.

"You sure you don't want to come with me and my friends? Terrance has a new trailer." Jake asked again, watching Kyle open a cupboard on the side of the trailer.

"I'm sure." Kyle said with a smile "I'll have a good time talking to Rachel. Thanks for the invite though."

"Suit yourself." Jake said with a shrug. Walking to his new Polaris Razor, he then said "Call me if you change your mind."

"Will do!" Kyle said, pulling out a bag from the compartment with his riding gear.

At that, Jake started his side-by-side and drove off; jumping his ride off a large dune.

Smiling, Kyle quickly opened the bag and grabbed his chest protector. With the black and green Fox Racing symbol on the chest, he then slid it over his head and began to clip the straps together. Making sure the chest plate was secure, he then pulled out his riding boots. Slipping out of his shoes, he then began to strap his boots on. Grabbing a backpack that was leaning against the trailer, he quickly slid it on and made sure the water hose was clean of sand. After that, he then pulled out a black bag out of the cupboard with the riding gear. Opening it up, he pulled out his riding helmet. Also black and green, like his chest protector, it had a custom decal on it with the words 'Outlaw' on the side of it. Ever since he started to ride with his friends back home, he was always called Outlaw for the reason that he was always doing crazy things; things that were borderline illegal.

Putting the helmet on, he began to walk to his quad while checking the goggles to make sure they were tight enough. Smiling to himself, he quickly jumped on his prized machine. Turning the engine, he felt it roar to life.

"Finally…time to ride!" he whispered to himself. "I've got at least a good 40 minutes of riding before the sun sets. Pushing the throttle, he felt himself launched forward. His KFX glided across the loose sand, allowing him to drift it along the face of a dune. Feeling the G-forces pull against him, he then quickly leaned the opposite way, fighting the forces of nature. Feeling himself straighten out, he couldn't help but laugh with joy. Though alone on New Year's Eve, he wasn't going to have any shortage of fun.

* * *

"What an amazing place…" Astrid observed, walking next to Hiccup. After mapping out the land that they could see and dare fly to, they both decided that it wasn't really an island, but a large mass of land. Now with the sun beginning to set¸ they were wrapping up the day by starting to set up a camp.

"I wish we had more time to explore. I'd like to see how far the desert goes…" Hiccup said with some sound of depression.

"Then you'd be wishing we had more supplies!" Astrid quickly cut in, teasing Hiccup again "Then even more time! If it was up to you, you'd never go back to Berk!"

That's probably true." Hiccup said, smiling at the comment. Taking a seat on top of the dune they were walking on, he stared at the ocean below them, with their dragons playing on the beach, he couldn't help but say "I do like the name Getaway Desert. That's exactly what we did here huh?"

Nodding, Astrid sat down next to Hiccup and began to braid his hair; as was a custom she did whenever they had a moment to sit and talk. "It did feel good to have a break."

"With you basically running the academy and me with being chief, we don't have much of a break at all don't we. From running the day to day activities, to stopping Alvin's raids and such." Hiccup added, still watching the two dragons roll in the sand.

"Well…for the time we did have together, I really enjoyed today." Astrid commented, weaving his hair she held.

"I did too Astrid. I guess it's easy to wish for more things after you have an amazing experience." Hiccup replied softly.

Smiling, Astrid turned to take a long look at the dunes behind them. After staring for a few seconds, she then said "Hey Hiccup…what's that?"

Hiccup turned to see what Astrid was talking about. Standing up, he saw a massive wall of sand blowing towards them. Realizing what he was looking at, he then felt wind pick up and begin to roar with fury. "Get to the dragons! We need to go now!" He shouted, grabbing Astrid's hand and pulling her down the hill.

Astrid immediately shouted "Stormfly!" Running with Hiccup, she turned to see the sand storm rise above them. Almost in slow motion, she watched the sand overtake both her and Hiccup. Blinded by the sand, she instinctively let go of Hiccup's hand to cover her eyes. Her eyes squeezed shut, she began to cough out the sand that seemed to fill her lungs. Where her skin was exposed, the sand felt like small bees stinging her. Trying to get at least one breath of clean air, she felt her foot sink into the sand. Thrown off balance, she then fell onto the sand and lay there. Trying to protect her face, she began to breathe into her arm and try to wait out the storm.

Hiccup himself was struggling to gain his sense of direction. Panicked that he and Astrid were separated in this sudden sand storm, and not being able to see and breathe, he quickly used his arm to try and cover his mouth. Stumbling down the hill, he quickly tripped himself as his prosthetic leg sank into the loose sand.

Collapsing, he felt something stand next to him. Looking up and through his sand covered eyes, he could only see a black object lay down next to him. Feeling the wind blocked, he knew that Toothless was protecting him with his wings. "You're a sight for sore eyes…thanks bud!" Hiccup coughed, trying to spit out the sand that stayed in his mouth.

Toothless just growled, lowering his head into the temporary shelter built by his wings. Hiccup just stared out of a small hole, watching the sand fly across, hoping Astrid was alright.

Astrid coughed, still unable to really get a real breath. Realizing that waiting the storm out would be the death of her, she began to crawl towards where she thought the beach was at. Trying to pry her eyes open, she was then forced to shut them as she was blinded once again. Out of desperation, she shouted "Stormfly! Hiccup!? Where are you!?"

Coughing, unable to breathe, Astrid dropped to her knees and then collapsed entirely onto the sand. Feeling her senses begin to numb, she slowly drifted off into a black world.

* * *

Hearing the wind slow down to a stop, Hiccup whispered to Toothless "Ok bud… let's find Astrid and Stormfly."

Toothless then lifted his wings, letting fresh air flood both their senses. Taking a deep breath of refreshing air, Hiccup then looked around. All the dunes were shifted and in completely different places. The only thing that looked familiar was the ocean still in sight.

Standing up, Hiccup began to call out "Astrid! Astrid!" Not hearing anything, he began to panic. Running up the dune closest to him, he stumbled slightly as the sand gave way to his weight. Struggling to get on top, Hiccup pushed even harder. Finally getting to the pea, he scanned the horizon for something, anything that showed evidence of where Astrid was.

Toothless glided over next to Hiccup, with a concerned look on his face. Not only was Astrid missing, but so was Stormfly.

Hiccup quickly jumped onto Toothless and said "Find her bud! Try to find her by her scent or something!" Hiccup desperately needed to do something to find her.

Knowing that the perfect day went to ruin, Toothless launched into the air with extra energy. Scanning the desert, he glided silently and smoothly over the dunes with the sun disappearing behind the ocean.

"Please be alright…" Hiccup whispered, doing a double check on a dune. His perfect getaway was now a nightmare. His worst dream come true. Astrid was missing.

* * *

"Haha!" Kyle shouted, skidding his four wheeler to a stop. Parking on top of a dune, he stopped to take in the view of the setting sunset. The dark orange and blood red sky mixed together made the skyline look like a painting. The sand everywhere seemed to amplify the orange hue. Pulling off his helmet, he stared at the sight.

Smiling, he pulled out his phone and took a picture of the sight. For the end of December, it was a very pretty picture. Making sure he posted the picture to Facebook, he then flipped open his Skype app and began to call his girlfriend Rachel. Letting it ring, he looked up to watch the sun slowly disappear behind the mountains in the background.

Looking down, he saw that she didn't pick up. Frowning, he then went to his contacts and dialed her number. Pressing the phone up to his ear, he waited to hear for her voice on the other end of the call. Then he heard what he wanted, the ringing stopped. Smiling, he waited to for her to say hello, only to hear her voice muffled with a lot of background noise.

"Pocket answered me." Kyle thought to himself, a little miffed at the fact that Rachel wasn't even paying attention for his calls. Shaking his head, he was about to hang up when he heard another guy's voice on the line "Don't worry baby! Kyle won't know about this."

Kyle's heart skipped a beat. Who was that talking to Rachel? Pressing his phone harder against his ear, he then overheard Rachel reply: "He better not! He'd kill me if he knew we were seeing each other." The guy then replied "I'm not going to tell him, and neither are my friends! It's up to you not telling him."

That was it for Kyle. Hanging up, he angrily kicked his four wheeler. A year and a half of being with each other and she's cheating on him like that! "ARRRGGHHH!" he screamed in anger as he buried his face in his hands. "Happy New Year…" Kyle whispered to himself, gripping his hair as if to pull it out. In the heat of the moment, he then went back to his phone and began to text her, saying "_Happy New Year. I hope it and the guy your with treats you as well as the last year and I did._" At that, he sent the text to her and shut his phone off. If she was going to try and apologize, he wasn't going to hear it.

Staring down the dune, watching the headlights of four-wheelers appear and disappear behind the dunes below, he couldn't help but feel depressed with the sudden and almost random event that just took place.

Finally tearing his eyes away, he put on his helmet and was about to start his ride to go home. Just before, he heard what he thought was a person cough loudly. Stopping he listened a little closer to the sound. Hearing the person cough viscously, he then jumped off his four wheeler and ran towards the sound. Looking down on the other side of the dune, he gasped as he saw a person half buried in the sand and still gasping for breath.

"Hold on! Just hold still for a second!" Kyle shouted, sliding down the sand towards the person. Arriving at the half-buried surprise, he saw that it was a girl.

"Uh! Stupid sand!" She gasped, trying to dig herself out "Mind helping me?"

"Yeah, yeah, just hold still!" Kyle ordered, ignoring the metal shoulder guards and reaching to grab under the girls arms "You moving around is causing the sand to slide down on ya" Planting both feet as firm as he could, he quickly hefted up and felt her pop out of sand a little bit. "One more time." Kyle said, grunting at the labor he was putting into it. Double checking his grip, he again pulled on the girl and felt her finally break free from the sand.

Coughing, the girl collapsed on the sand and began to take deep breaths, leaving Kyle to stare and wonder who he just rescued.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Resting from the rescue, Kyle kneeled down next to the girl and pulled off his helmet. Staring at what she was wearing, he couldn't help but ask out loud "What the…what are you wearing? How long were you in the sand?"

Finally looking up at her rescuer, the girl stared back at Kyle and replied "I could ask the same thing!"

Staring blankly at the girl, Kyle shook his head and began to help her up onto her feet. "What are you talking about? Where's your ride?"

"My ride?" The girl asked, trying to get the sand out of her hair and fur hood. "What are…wait…you live here!?"

More confused than ever, Kyle just shook his head and said "No…no one lives here. Didn't you drive here like, you know, everyone else?"

"Drive?" The girl said, shaking her blonde hair to try and get more the sand out.

"Alright, let's take a step back for a sec." Kyle said, trying to figure out what the girl was talking about. Pulling off his helmet, he then asked "Who are you?"

"My names Astrid. Astrid Hofferson. Who are you?" Astrid replied simply, looking around as if to figure out where she was.

"Kyle Bryson." Kyle replied back "So Astrid. Where you from?"

"I'm from Berk." Astrid answered.

"Berk? Where's that? Northern California? Nevada?" Kyle asked.

"No. It's just an island named Berk." Astrid replied "Where am I? Where's the ocean?"

"Ocean!? Island!?" Kyle spluttered "We're about 5 hours away from the ocean. We're here at Dumont Dunes."

"Where's Dumont Dunes?" Astrid asked, getting even more confused.

Realizing that she might have heat exhaustion, Kyle began to guide Astrid to his four wheeler on top of the dune. "Come on, let's sit down start from the beginning again. Maybe we can try to piece everything together. Again."

Walking up the dune with Kyle, Astrid then saw his four wheeler. Staring at it, she then asked "What is that thing?"

Kyle whirled around with wide eyes, now not sure of what to even think of this girl. "What do you mean 'what is that thing?' have you ever seen a four wheeler?" At this point, Kyle couldn't help but think that Astrid was a little mental; living in her own world.

"A four wheeler?" Astrid repeated "No! Where's your village? Your home?"

"My home is back in Redlands. And it's a city…" Kyle replied, hanging his helmet on the handle bars of his four wheeler. Slinging his backpack around, he pulled out the water hose and offered it to Astrid "Here. Take all the water you need."

"Thanks…" Astrid replied softly, taking the back pack. Unsure of what to do with hose, she just stared at it.

"It's like a straw." Kyle explained, still believing that Astrid had some kind of condition "Suck on it to get the water."

Obeying, Astrid did so and was surprised to feel water pour down her throat. After a few swallows, Astrid handed back the back pack and said "Thanks. I needed that."

"Hold onto it. You need it more than me." Kyle replied, taking a seat on his KFX. Motioning for her to sit next to him, he then asked "Ok…so let's try to figure out how you got buried. What were you doing before?"

"I was sitting with Hiccup when-" Astrid's head then snapped up, realizing what she was saying. She hadn't seen Hiccup, Toothless, or Stormfly!

"Who?" Kyle asked, staring at Astrid.

"Hiccup!" At that, she dropped the backpack and bolted back down the dune where she was.

"Hiccup!? What!?" Kyle shouted, running after Astrid. Reaching, he grabbed her shoulder and held her "Wait a second! Who are you talking about?"

Astrid tried break away from Kyle, who just held onto her. Raising her boot, she then kicked him in the leg, causing him to drop and roll down the dune.

"Hiccup! Toothless!" Astrid began calling out, looking around frantically. "Stormfly!" She screamed louder "Where are you!?" Her voice echoed in the dunes, but returned no sign of anyone.

After finishing rolling, Kyle picked himself up and watched Astrid run to another dune. Shaking his head and cussing that Astrid kicked him, he then sprinted back up the dune to his four wheeler. After he finally climbed the peak, he slung his backpack on and quickly strapped on his helmet and started the KFX 450. Hearing the engine roar to life, he opened up the throttle and chased Astrid down. Seeing her in his headlight, he quickly drifted in front of her and stopped, cutting her off.

"Get out of the way!" Astrid shouted, taken back from seeing the four wheeler "My friends are still missing!"

"Hold on!" Kyle snapped back, frustrated that Astrid wasn't answering any of his questions "Just answer a few of my questions and I'll help you look for this 'Hiccup' and your friends. I promise."

"Fine!" Astrid breathed loudly, frustrated and anxious at the same time.

"Thank you! Then maybe we can figure out what's going on." Kyle answered, equally frustrated and annoyed. "So what exactly were you doing before you were…buried."

"I was with my friend Hiccup. He's chief of Berk." Astrid answered, folding her arms and glaring at Kyle.

"Chief…of course…" Kyle muttered, hitting his helmet with his fist. Every time she answered one of his questions, he just ended up being more confused.

"What's wrong now?" Astrid asked, rolling her eyes impatiently.

"Well, I'll tell you exactly what's wrong." Kyle answered, looking up at her "Everything you say make absolutely no sense at all. Not one thing adds up." Numbering his fingers he then said "First off, you're from a place that simply doesn't exist. Second, you have no idea what anything is here; like a four wheeler. Third, you have no idea where you are, or what's happened to you. And fourth, you say you have friend named Hiccup? And he's a chief!? What is he, part of a tribe or something!?"

"No!" Astrid defended "You're obviously the one that's not making any sense! Hiccup and I were flying our dragons to this new desert land he discovered. We spent the day exploring it and were caught in a sand storm. I couldn't breathe and passed out. When I woke up, I saw you running down to me!"

Kyle just stared at Astrid for a few seconds, trying to make sense of anything she was saying. Finally, he asked "Dragons? Does anything you say make sense!?"

"Wait…you don't have dragons?" Astrid asked in amazement.

"Dragons never existed! They're fairy tales!" Kyle shouted back, thinking he was finally making some ground with this nut job.

"Ok, enough questions for me! I have a few myself!" Astrid quickly retorted, sounding more panicky and angry "I know for a fact I was near an ocean; we flew over it to get to this desert and Stormfly was playing in while we were mapping out the land. How did I get here then!?"

"Maybe your imagination finally stopped and you realized you're in real life." Kyle huffed back, also folding his arms.

"Thank you, you've been most helpful." Astrid shot back, beginning to walk around Kyle "But right now, I need to find my friends."

"No! You're going to the ranger station. They can help you find your camp." Kyle argued, grabbing Astrid's arm as she walked by.

Almost instantly, Astrid grabbed Kyle's chest protector and lifted him over her head; bringing him down on his back hard. Gasping for breath, Kyle tried to get back on his feet; only to be stopped as Astrid stepped on his chest.

"Was that my imagination too?" Astrid breathed angrily, staring down at Kyle "I can keep beating you up until you realize I'm not insane!"

"Fine!" Kyle gasped, trying to inhale some air. Feeling her boot come off, he rolled to his side and began to stand up. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"I'm a warrior. I have to know those things." Astrid said, eyes still glaring at Kyle. Then, in a softer tone, added "Listen, I know you don't believe me. And I also know you think I'm wrong in the head. But I need your help finding out where I am and where my friends are!"

"Well, after what you did to me, I'm not feeling that helpful." Kyle said, sliding his hand under his chest protector and rubbing his chest.

"Hey, I was defending myself." Astrid quickly said, glaring at Kyle "You grabbed me remember?"

"And probably the last time I'll do so." Kyle replied, looking at Astrid. "Listen, I don't know what's going on; if you and your friend really did come from an ocean or something, I didn't see anyone or anything other than you. I was riding all around her for the last half hour."

Astrid just looked down, knowing that Kyle was telling the truth. "What happened then?" she whispered, mostly to herself.

"How about this then." Kyle began to suggest "Instead of asking questions, since we just end up getting frustrated and even more confused, let's tell each other what life's like for us. That way we kind of know what's going on and we can ask the right questions then. Sound good?"

"Sure. Sounds a bit better that what we were trying to do." Astrid replied, relaxing a little bit.

"Here, you should still drink some more water." Kyle said, handing his backpack to Astrid "Getting sand in your mouth tends to make you thirstier."

"Thanks." Astrid again replied, taking the water.

"Ok, how about you tell me a little bit about life for you." Kyle said, taking a seat on his four wheeler.

"Nuh-uh." Astrid quickly said, shaking her head "I'm done talking right now. You tell me a little bit about your life."

Sighing, Kyle whispered "Fine. I guess that's fair." Letting Astrid sit on the four wheeler with him, he pulled off his helmet and then said "Well, I told you before, I'm not from here. I'm from a place called Redlands, California. My family and I came here to have a vacation for the New Year holiday. My parents went to Vegas to celebrate it there while my brother is partying with some friends. I'm kind of by myself for a day or two."

"Why didn't they take you?" Astrid asked, followed up with "What's Vegas?"

Kyle stared at Astrid, bugged by the fact that she really didn't know anything. Frowning, he then said "My parents wanted to be alone and Jake did invite me. I was planning on spending the holiday talking to my girlfriend." Kyle's blood froze when he said that. Closing his eyes, he then said "My FORMER girlfriend."

"What happened?" Astrid asked, taking a few more swallows of water.

"She cheated on me." Kyle replied with a shrug. A hint of anger was in his voice as well.

"I'm sorry…" Astrid replied softly "So…what are you going to do now? I mean for your holiday?"

Finally smiling a little, Kyle replied "Probably helping you out. At least until we get this all sorted."

"Thank you." Astrid said again.

"Anyways, as I was saying, we came here to ride on the dunes. To relax and enjoy life a little bit." Kyle continued, looking up at the night sky.

"On this thing?" Astrid asked, looking down at the four wheeler she was sitting on.

"Yeah, and a few other toys. Jake has a Razor. It's called a side-by-side." Kyle, readying himself to answer Astrid's next question.

"A side-by-side?" Astrid predictably asked.

"Like a four wheeler except you sit in it rather than on it." Kyle explained. He was getting to the fact that Astrid didn't know much about life. Or this life at least. And what bugged him more was the fact that he was beginning to believe her.

"So…you ride on the sand for fun?" Astrid asked, looking back at Kyle.

"Yeah! It's a blast!" Kyle said laughing "I usually race other people and it gets pretty competitive."

"So you're a sand rider." Astrid said, trying to compare her world to wherever she was.

"Eh…sure." Kyle said with a shrug "Sounds cooler than a four wheel rider. And for your sake, I'll go by that. But enough about my life. What about yours?"

"Fine I guess it's my turn then." Astrid said, looking up at the starlit sky. "Berk is really a miserable place to live. 9 of the 12 months it's freezing and the rest of them it rains."

"Wow…nothing like here." Kyle replied with a smile. "It's always warm and dry.

"Really the main perk of living there are the dragons." Astrid said, looking at Kyle to see his reaction.

"Ok, quick question." Kyle cut in, shaking his head at trying to grasp what she was saying. "You're not just messing with me when you say dragons. Like they're not just big lizards?"

"Oh they're reptiles." Astrid said with a smile, the first time since she met Kyle. Then with a serious look, asked "Do you really not have any dragons here?"

"They don't exist!" Kyle argued again, rubbing his head with a hand "The problem I'm having is that I'm starting to believe you! But it doesn't make sense!"

"I wish I could prove to you that we ride dragons." Astrid whispered, looking down.

Deciding to change the subject, Kyle asked "Who's this Hiccup you were going on about?"

"Hiccup is the first Viking to train a dragon." Astrid explained "Since he's done that, our lives haven't been the same! He's now chief of our village."

"Vikings?" Kyle asked, still bewildered.

"I thought we agreed to not ask questions!" Astrid reminded.

"I answered a few of yours." Kyle pointed out "You're a Viking?"

"Aren't you?" Astrid asked.

Kyle just shook his head and said "I'm a Californian. Well, really an American, I just live in the state of California."

"How did I get here then?" Astrid whispered out loud, looking at the night sky with worry.

"And how do we get you back?" Kyle added, also looking up.

"You believe me?" Astrid asked in surprise, staring at Kyle.

"It's getting harder not too." Kyle replied, a smile forming on his face "You're a Viking, which explains what you're wearing; you apparently live a lifestyle, not just imagining it; and frankly, since you don't know what anything is, it just makes sense…if you can call it sense."

"So…what do we do now then?" Astrid asked, relieved that Kyle was willing to help her. She now knew she wasn't going to be alone.

"Come on." Kyle said, putting his helmet on "Let's get something to eat. I have some food back at our camp."

"How far is it?" Astrid, handing Kyle his backpack.

"About 20 or so minutes." Kyle said, putting the backpack on. Starting his engine, Kyle watched Astrid jump off in surprise as the KFX roared to life. "Heh, sorry. Forgot you're not used to this." He said with a wide smile. Pointing behind him, he then added "Jump on!"

Astrid slowly climbed on behind him, slightly reminding her of what it was like when she got on Toothless for the first time.

Feeling her climb on, Kyle flipped on the lights and opened up the throttle. Feeling her grab onto him tightly, he couldn't' help but laugh at what might have been running through her head. Riding down to the bottom of the dune, Kyle let the four wheeler drift as he turned it and drove it towards where his trailer was at.

"Wow! It' goes pretty fast for not flying!" Astrid shouted into the wind and over the engine.

"I can get it to go 60 miles per hour!" Kyle replied "Going uphill!" At that, he popped the clutch and did a small wheelie. Driving around a dune hill, Kyle revealed a mass empty desert; with few head lights appearing and disappearing in the distance.

"We'll be back at camp soon enough." Kyle shouted. Suddenly a whoosh sounded above them, causing a whirlwind that made Kyle veer a little bit. Looking up into the black sky, Kyle shouted "What was that!?" Astrid didn't say anything, except look around with Kyle.

Stopping the four wheeler, Kyle scanned the black sky for something, to which Astrid shouted "Stormfly!"

Kyle turned just in time to see two massive talons grab him. Lifted off his KFX, Kyle felt himself dropped and landed hard on the sand. Skidding to a stop, he looked up to see a massive blue and white lizard standing over him and growling angrily. Kyle couldn't help but think that he was living his last moments.

"Stormfly back off!" Astrid shouted, running to her dragon that stood over Kyle.

Stormfly immediately turned to Astrid. After a few seconds, she then looked back at wide eyed Kyle and roared at him. Backing up, she began to rub against Astrid. Squawking out of happiness to see her rider, she almost pushed Astrid down out of excitement.

"Easy girl…easy…" Astrid said softly, trying to calm down Stormfly. Turning to Kyle, she saw him stand up; visibly shaking at what just happened to him. "Well…I guess that's one way I can prove I ride dragons."

Staring at Astrid and her dragon called Stormfly, Kyle just nodded and said "Well…I believe everything you say now. Don't need anymore convincing…"


	3. Chapter 3

**So…I realize that this story is a little slow. Since it's a whole new series, it's going to take a bit to build up Kyle's history and his relationship with the HTTYD universe. Like the Dragon Boarder Series, my other OC Matt had to basically go through two stories to be where he was at near the end. I hope to speed it up just a tad so that the story doesn't get boring, but I'm not going to ruin the story by rushing it through. As per usual, enjoy!**

Chapter Three

"No…freaking…way…" Kyle whispered, staring at Stormfly who was still glaring at him; as if daring him to step closer to Astrid. "That's…That's a real life dragon!"

"Told ya." Astrid replied simply, looking back up at Stormfly. "We must have been separated in the storm. Got here at a different place. Or at a different time."

Kyle just stared at the marvel. Forcing himself to slide a step forward, he then added "So…how mad at me is he?"

"She." Astrid corrected, seeing the spikes on Stormfly's tail stick up. Petting her dragon, she explained "She's not angry at you, she's just protecting me."

"Can you at least tell her I'm a friend?" Kyle asked, who promptly stopped moving when he saw the dragon's tail raise its spikes.

"Just don't make sudden moves." Astrid answered "Start walking towards her nice and easy."

"That's a lot easier said than done!" Kyle retorted "You know, I'm probably the first American to even see a dragon, let alone touch one!"

"I was the second Viking to ride one." Astrid quickly threw in "The first time is always the hardest. Just let her get used to you and you'll have another friend for life." Then she added "Might want to take the helmet off. Show her even more that you don't mean harm.

Swallowing deeply, Kyle slowly unlatched his helmet and dropped it on the sand. Stepping slowly towards the light blue and white dragon, he slowly raised his hand up.

"Come towards her side. That way you stay out of her blind spot." Astrid counseled, watching Kyle step closer to Stormfly.

Obeying, he silently stepped towards the right side of Stormfly, who at this point visibly relaxed. Only inches away from the dragon, Kyle slowly reached forward and felt his hand rub the scales of Stormfly. They were cool, smooth, and almost glass like to the touch. His breath stuttered as he relaxed his hand on the side of Stormfly.

"There ya' go." Astrid smiled, watching Stormfly completely relax.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Kyle pulled his hand away from the dragon, to which she turned and began to rub against Kyle. Taken back by the action, Kyle instinctively began to scratch Stormfly's chin. At that, Stormfly cooed and dropped onto the sand, rolling with Kyle's scratching.

"She loves her chin scratched." Astrid laughed, watching Kyle stare at the playful dragon.

Smiling, Kyle looked up at Astrid; to which he stared at her with a horrified expression. He was staring at a pair of headlights driving straight towards them.

"What!?" Astrid asked in alarm.

"You got to hide! You and Stormfly!" Kyle said loudly, ignoring Stormfly's growls for more scratching. Running to grab his helmet, he then explained "Someone's driving towards us! We can't let them see you and especially Stormfly!"

Astrid instantly leaped onto Stormfly. "Where should I go!?" she asked in a panic.

"Somewhere far enough where they won't see you. Follow me when you see me drive away ok?" Kyle explained, watching the headlights get closer

"Got it!" Astrid said, nodding at the plan. With that, she ushered Stormfly to launch into the air, causing a small gust of wind and making Kyle take a step back.

Turning, Kyle watched the headlights get closer, finally pulling alongside his four wheeler. It was a park ranger in his truck.

"You ok?" A voice called out.

"I'm fine!" Kyle quickly said, walking towards the truck.

"Why you off your four wheeler then?" the ranger asked, giving Kyle a quizzical stare.

"I…I uh…" Kyle stammered. Shrugging, he then explained "I got bucked off my ride. Hit a bump a little too fast and went a rolling while my bike coasted to a stop."

The ranger then stepped out of the truck and began to inspect Kyle. "Well you do have sand everywhere on your gear!" the ranger observed, checking to see if Kyle was hurt.

"I expected as much." Kyle said, agreeing with the ranger. "I was on my way back to camp and was going a little too fast probably. Never saw the bump. Honestly it felt like something grabbed me and pulled me off!"

"Are you sure you're ok?" the ranger asked, shining a flashlight in Kyle's eyes "Haven't been drinking have you?"

"No sir." Kyle replied, shielding his eyes and shaking his head "I was just recovering for a second. That's why I pulled off my helmet."

"Well…you seem sober." The ranger said "You sure you don't need a ride? An escort home?"

"No sir. No thank you." Kyle said with a smile "I was just getting ready to head back to camp. It's only a 10 minute ride from here."

"Alright, I'll let you get going then." The ranger said "Just drive a bit slower. Don't want to ruin the holiday."

"Yes sir, thank you for checking up on me." Kyle said with a smile, latching his helmet on. Starting up his KFX, he then shouted "You have a happy new year too!"

"Thanks! Drive safely!" The ranger replied, getting back in his truck.

Kyle slowly drove his four wheeler away, and towards his trailer. Letting sweat roll off his face, he looked up at the stars and silently sent a prayer of thanks that the ranger wasn't a jerk. Upon looking at the stars, he saw a silhouetted object gliding above him. "That's good…at least Stormfly is a silent flyer." He muttered to himself. Returning focus on the dunes ahead of him, he opened up the throttle and focused on getting home.

* * *

Kyle quickly parked his four wheeler next to the door of the trailer. Jumping off, he took off his helmet and set it on a table set up outside.

Looking around, he began to scan the sky for Astrid and Stormfly; to which he heard them land behind him.

"This is your camp?" Astrid asked, staring at the trailer "I was expecting something more like…tents and such."

"Oh trust me. This is a ton better than tents." Kyle said with a smile. Walking to the back of the trailer, he opened a latch and began to let the entire backside of the trailer down slowly. Letting it create a ramp to the inside of the trailer, he then motioned for Astrid and Stormfly to get in. "This is how we load our four wheelers and bikes in. Figured we'd use it to hide Stormfly." he explained.

"Oh…alright." Astrid replied, walking slowly up the ramp.

As Kyle watched them walk up, he was caught off guard when Stormfly began to rub against him. "Oof! Hey girl!" Kyle said, surprised at the friendliness of the dragon "Get inside and I'll scratch your chin, I promise!"

Stormfly immediately jogged inside, laying down next to Astrid who was staring at a few of the things inside.

Making sure Stormfly's tail was clear, Kyle lifted the ramp back up and latched it. Walking around to the front door, he grabbed his helmet off the table and walked inside. Shutting the door, he saw Astrid staring at the kitchen with a confused expression. Smiling, Kyle walked to the fridge and opened it up. Pulling out two cans of Coke-a-Cola, he then asked "Questions?"

"Only about a hundred." Astrid replied, staring at the fridge "What is that?"

"A refrigerator. Keeps food and drinks cold." Kyle explained opening up one of the cans. Handing it to her, he then said "Try it."

Astrid reached for the drink. Staring at it, she then took a swallow. "Gaahh! It burns!" she said, making a face.

"Yeah…it's carbonated." Kyle said with a smile "You get used to it."

Stormfly let out a soft squawk, reminding the two that she was still there.

"Right…what do you usually feed her?" Kyle asked, taking a swallow of his own drink.

"Well…fish, chicken…meats really. Chickens her favorite though." Astrid answered, still trying to shake the burning sensation out of her throat.

Remembering what his mom left him, Kyle walked back to the fridge and pulled out a bag of barbeque chicken. "Awesome! Mom left me some for dinner. I'm not sure if you're used to this kind of chicken though. Barbeque?"

Astrid just shook her head. Setting the drink down, she then asked "Mind if I have some water instead?"

"Sure." Kyle replied, putting the chicken in the microwave. Letting it warm up, he walked over to the sink and filled a glass for Astrid. "So…how are you holding up?"

"It's just so much to take in!" Astrid observed, still looking around the trailer "From seeing that thing ride up to you earlier, to see you using…that box!"

Kyle just nodded, pulling out the chicken from the microwave. "It's called a microwave. We use it to heat up food and such. Quick and easy."

"You don't cook with fires?" Astrid asked with an amazed look.

"We cook with fires, just smaller flames. Like this." Kyle answered, turning on the stove. A small blue flame shot out from the burner, causing Astrid to stare at it in amazement. Turning it off, he then pulled out three plates, some knives and forks, and began to dish the chicken out. Giving Astrid and him two of the bigger pieces, he then poured out the rest of the chicken on the third plate. Setting it down next to Stormfly, Kyle whispered "Alright girl, there ya' go."

Stormfly immediately began to inhale the chicken, cleaning the plate in less than a few seconds. Growling, she began to sniff Kyle, as if asking for more.

"Well…that lasted shorter than I was expecting." He muttered, scratching Stormfly's head. "Sorry girl, that's all I have." Turning away from Stormfly, he saw Astrid take a bite out the chicken.

"Hmm!" Astrid said, her eyes looking surprised "It's interesting, but good!"

"Glad we have something you like." Kyle replied, sitting down next to her. Cutting up his chicken, he then asked "So…mind telling me what Berk's like? Besides it being cold?"

"Well, you know it's an island. Most of the time we're just adapting the village to house all the dragons. The rest of the time we're busy dealing with raiders and not so friendly dragons."

"Are raiders a common problem?" Kyle asked.

"Lately they're getting more frequent, but overall not really." Astrid replied with a small smile "The biggest problem is handling Snotlout and the twins. They always end up destroying or burning something."

"I'm guessing they're other Vikings?" Kyle stated, swallowing some of his chicken.

"Yeah, other trainers." Astrid expounded.

"What's Berk like? I mean what's the landscape?" Kyle asked again, sitting back.

"It has lots of cliffs!" Astrid began to explain, taking another bite of chicken "Bigger than your sand dunes here. It's basically a massive mountain in the ocean."

"That's be a sight to see." Kyle said with a smile.

"If we can figure out how I got here, maybe you'll be able to visit and come see it yourself." Astrid said with a smile.

"That'd be something else…how's life with…" Kyle began to say, looking over at Stormfly who was trying to make herself comfortable.

"Dragons?" Astrid answered.

"I was going to say Stormfly, but that works too." Kyle replied, looking back at Astrid "I can't even imagine what you could do with one."

"It's fun, and handy in most cases." Astrid began to explain, staring at Stormfly. "But it also comes with its own messes. They take a lot of work to train in the first place."

"How'd you train Stormfly then?" Kyle asked, shoveling some more chicken in his mouth.

"Actually…Hiccup trained her first." Astrid answered. "I just took care of her after and we became friends."

"Hiccup…never thought that as a name." Kyle observed "What's he like?"

"Well…he's small." Astrid said with a smile, thinking about him "But he's incredibly smart. Like I said, he was the first Viking who figured out how to train dragons! On top of that, he super determined; almost stubborn. When he gets his mind on something, he won't stop thinking about it until he figures a way or finds the exact reason why it won't work."

"Wow…sounds like someone I'd like to meet. Does he have a dragon like Stormfly?" Kyle followed up with.

Shaking her head, Astrid explained "No. Stormfly's a Deadly Nadder. He rides a Night Fury.

"Sounds cool!" Kyle quickly commented "Is it a black dragon? I'm just guessing with the name."

"Midnight Black." Astrid confirmed "Disappears in the night; hence the name."

Kyle shook his head and leaned against the chair he was sitting in. Looking up, he then said "Look at me. My entire life I was raised thinking dragons were fairy tale creatures; now I'm staring at one sleeping in my trailer!"

Astrid only nodded, still thinking of Hiccup. If he was still where they were originally, and if she knew him at all, he's probably searching frantically for her and Stormfly.

Kyle saw the worried look on Astrid, to which he said "Hey. We'll get you back. You got here somehow, so that means there's a way to get you back."

"Thanks Kyle." Astrid whispered, looking back up at him "But it's not just that. It's Hiccup. He's probably beating himself up getting separated from me."

Kyle didn't say anything. Trying to come up with at least one good reason with how she got here, all he could say was "How 'bout we get out and try to get you back? Let's at least go back to the dune where I found you."

"That sounds like a plan to me." Astrid said, shrugging her shoulders "But first, tell me a little bit about what life's like here?"

"Heh, probably not as interesting as your life." Kyle replied, taking Astrid's empty plate. Walking up to the sink, he then said "Well…every day I work in a warehouse counting inventory and shipping it out to people."

"Why?" Astrid asked, confused at the reasoning behind it.

"People buy stuff from across the country." Kyle explained, rinsing off the plates "So I'm the one who packs their stuff and sends it to them. It's not exciting and frankly thankless, but it's a job and I get some money."

"Sounds…boring honestly." Astrid said, raising an eye brow to Kyle.

"It is." He replied with a smile "I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with my life, so all I can do is work and play. Hence the reason why I'm here."

"You come here often?" Astrid asked.

"I do. My family not so much. Jake, my brother, comes with me more than my mom and dad." Kyle explained, drying the plates he finished washing. "I love the desert. The dunes more specifically. I feel…I don't know how to explain it, but free. I can push myself as fast as I want too and do some pretty incredible things." Turning to Astrid, he then added "You probably know what I mean huh?"

Astrid smiled and nodded "I do. Stormfly has completely changed my view of life. It's been a real eye opener with her in my life."

"That's really what life's like here." Kyle finished up "Pretty boring in comparison."

"Why do you love the desert so much? I mean with my experience, the desert almost killed me, Hiccup, Toothless, and Stormfly!"

"Toothless?" Kyle asked, sitting down across from Astrid.

"Hiccup's dragon. The Night Fury." Astrid explained "He usually looks like he has no teeth."

"I really need to see him to get a picture in my head." Kyle said shaking his head. Looking back at Astrid, he then continued to say "I guess I just love it because of what it is. It's weird, but I feel connected to it. Yeah, it's dangerous, I'll give you that. But so is the ocean isn't it?"

Astrid nodded, trying to see where Kyle was going with this.

"But you've learned how to use it? I'm sure you fish on it right? Sail on it?" Kyle continued, pressing his example.

"Yeah, fish is our primary food!" Astrid confirmed.

"Likewise…I know how to use the desert. The best way I can explain it, is that I respect it. The desert can give you some spectacular views…experiences that can't be forgotten…even treasures that can't be priced or valued. But if you treat it like a thing; an inanimate object, then it will turn and kill you." Kyle looked up and continued to say "That's why I respect it. It's more powerful than humanity, we can't conquer it; trust me, we still try. As I respect it, I feel like it respects me in return. I don't know how to explain it other than that."

Astrid didn't say anything. She just nodded at Kyle's reason. Finally, she whispered "You know…if you ever train a dragon, you got half the battle done. It's a friendship that you build with a dragon. It sounds a lot like your relationship with the desert."

"A friendship." Kyle repeated "You know…that would be the word to describe the desert for me. Thanks." Then laughing, added "I guess if I ever do visit Berk, I'll have to try and train a dragon!"

Though in his mind, Kyle thought "I doubt I'd ever see this Berk. Let alone live there long enough to train a dragon…"

"Well…ready to go?" Astrid asked, standing up from her seat.

"Yeah, let's get going." Kyle said, standing up and grabbing his helmet. Walking towards the door, he began to hear a small rumble. Stopping he focused on the sound. After a few seconds, he quickly turned to Astrid and shouted "You gotta hide! Someone's coming!"

"Where!?" Astrid gasped, staring at Kyle.

Glancing around, Kyle frantically searched for somewhere for Astrid to hide. Hearing the engine a lot louder, Kyle grabbed Astrid and pushed her towards Stormfly in the back of the trailer. Stormfly at this point stood up, excited with the sudden change in attitude.

"Where am I supposed to go!?" Astrid shouted, staring back at Kyle.

"Nowhere! Stay right there and for the love of everything, stay quiet!" Kyle said, motioning to be quiet. At that, he pulled a blanket down from the bed that lowered itself into a bunk bed. Making sure it covered Stormfly, Kyle frantically walked towards the door, trying to calm his heart. He could hear the engine get cut out. Deciding to see who it was, he quickly opened to door to reveal Jake getting out of his Razor.

"Long time no see!" Jake called out, walking towards the trailer.

"Caught me just in time!" Kyle said with a forced smile, trying to mask his panic "I was just leaving for a second night ride!"

"I thought you were going to be talking to Rachel all night? What happened?" Jake asked, stepping up to Kyle.

Kyle frowned and looked down "Found out she was cheating on me…"

"Dude…serious!?" Jake said with wide eyes.

"Yeah…found out about an hour ago…" Kyle answered, looking at Jake in the eyes.

"Ok bro…that's it! You're coming with me!" Jake said, slightly pushing Kyle aside so he could step in "Party at Terrance's trailer. Right now."

"Nah dude…I was just about to…" Kyle quickly said, trying to come up with a reason to explain the hanging blanket. "I was going for a quick ride and then set up the projector to watch a movie…maybe play some Halo."

"Oh that explains the blanket." Jake observed, staring at the hanging blanket "Well, you don't have a choice. You need to be with some people. Being alone right now would be a bad idea."

"Jake!" Kyle quickly said angrily. Then a thought came into his head "Wait…what are you doing here anyways?"

"Freaking Hayden burnt the steaks." Jake answered in an annoyed tone, opening the fridge "Had nothing else to eat and drink other than chips and beer. Thought I'd come by and steal some chicken mom left. Where is it?"

Kyle went into a cold sweat. Now what was he going to do to explain this. "Uh…well…I…I ate it. All."

"What!?" Jake said, staring at Kyle with wide eyes. "Dude how'd you eat 5 pounds of chicken in less than an hour!?"

"I was hungry! Dad never got me lunch today." Kyle lied, praying that Jake would stop asking questions.

Jake just stared at Kyle, and then a small smile grew on his face "Dude…little bro, I know when you're lying to me."

"Wha…What!?" Kyle stammered, knowing full well that he was losing any ground he had.

"Hear me out." Jake said, leaning against the fridge "First off. You're stammering. Dead giveaway."

"Forgot your training to be a cop…" Kyle muttered, desperately thinking of something to get Jake out of the trailer.

"Just basic observations. I don't need to be a detective to figure this out." Jake said with a wide smile "Second reason. There are two plates in the dish rack, as well as two cokes open and halfway full."

Kyle closed his eyes, wishing he could travel back in time to change a few things.

"You're on a date!" Jake concluded "The cokes, plates, missing chicken, cold sweats you're having; it all points to you hiding something. Or someone in this case!"

"Nailed it." Kyle quickly said "She left a few minutes before you came here. Name's Astrid. Met her at the vendors. You can say I had to dig her out to find her."

"Ah…but there is a third clue that I didn't tell you." Jake said, walking past Kyle "I saw no one drive away. No head lights or nothing. And, you set up this blanket to not watch a movie, but to hide someone. Which only means that…" Jake reached for the blanket.

"Jake! No!" Kyle shouted, trying to stop Jake.

Too late, Jake pulled down the blanket. As soon as he did, his smile dropped as fast as the blanket dropped. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" He shouted, jumping backwards and tripping over the table and chairs.

"Stormfly! Stay!" Astrid shouted, knowing that Stormfly would be anxious. With the turn of events, Stormfly stood up and raised her wings as best as she could in the cramped space. Staring at the scrambling Jake, she kept him out of her blind spot.

"I wish you'd take the hint when I wanted to be alone!" Kyle shouted, helping Jake up onto his feet.

"Kyle, what the hell are you talking about!? There is a monster in our trailer!" Jake yelled, standing behind Kyle.

"First off, that's a dragon." Kyle quickly explained "Second, her trainer is Astrid." Pointing to Astrid, he then said "It's a long story on what's going on."

Staring at the dragon and girl stranger, Jake whispered "Still have one of your hard lemonades?"

Nodding, Kyle let Jake take a seat. Going to the fridge, he pulled out the alcoholic drink. Handing it to his brother, he then sat down next to him. "Astrid…might want to help explain a few things with me as well." He said, looking at Astrid.

Making sure that Stormfly was calmed down, she then sat down next to Kyle.

"Ready?" Kyle asked, staring at his brother who was chugging the drink.

Taking a breath of air, Jake wiped his mouth and whispered "Start. I want to hear EVERYTHING."


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4! Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think of the new series, like what you like/don't like about it. As per usual with all my stories and chapters, enjoy!**

Chapter Four

"So…you're telling me…that she's a Viking?" Jake repeated, staring at Astrid who was sitting across the table from him.

"That's not what I'm telling you. It's what she's telling you." Kyle confirmed.

"I promise I'm telling the truth!" Astrid quickly added, getting tired of telling her story over again.

"Dude…I just can't believe this." Jake said, shaking his head and letting it drop onto the table.

"Jake…trust me when I say I was a lot less believing than you." Kyle quickly countered "Honestly, I don't know if I would have believed her totally if Stormfly wasn't here."

Jake looked up and turned to see the dragon, who was still eyeing him warily. "It just goes against everything that I've known…"

"You think you're alone on this?" Kyle asked "My world is shattered because of what's going on!"

"I know, I know…" Jake replied, slouching in his chair "I just don't know what to do with this."

"We were literately leaving here when you showed up." Kyle explained "We were going to try and find a way to get her back home."

"How were you going to do that? Bury her again?" Jake fired, glaring at Kyle.

Taken back by the comment, Kyle quickly shot back with "We didn't know what to do. We just thought it'd be best to go back to where she arrived!"

Jake just stared at Astrid, and then to Stormfly. Finishing off the Hard Lemonade, he then said "Well…I guess I better help too then."

"What are you thinking?" Astrid asked, relieved again that Jake was willing to help also.

"First off. I need to go tell Terrance that I won't be coming back. I'll meet you at the dune where you found Astrid." Jake explained, standing up from his seat.

"Why not call him?" Kyle asked, also standing up.

"His camp has no cell service. I couldn't get a hold of him if I wanted to." Jake explained, walking towards the door. "Just meet me over at the dune. Keep Astrid and Stormfly hidden."

"Yeah, no problem." Kyle said, grabbing his helmet. Turning to Astrid, he then said "I'll open the ramp to let you and Stormfly out. Give me a minute."

"Sure." Astrid replied simply, walking over to Stormfly.

Stepping outside, Kyle saw that Jake was waiting for him. Strapping on the helmet, he then asked "What's up Jake?"

"Have you thought about what we'd do if we can't get her back to her home?" Jake whispered, not wanting Astrid to overhear.

"Honestly, I've barely thought about what to do when we get to the dune." Kyle replied, looking down.

"Kyle…this might be over your head. Maybe you should just let me take care of it." Jake said softly, resting his hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"Listen Jake. I found her. I want to help her. I don't care how long it takes, I want to be part of it." Kyle said defensively "Do what you need to with Terrance and meet up with us. Got it?"

Jake smiled and said "Look at you. Taking charge of the situation." Walking to his Razor that was parked, he then said "See you in about 15 to 20 minutes."

"Make sure you're not followed." Kyle quickly added, hearing the Razor start up.

"I know that!" Jake shouted, pushing the gas pedal down. Spewing sand behind him, he then drove off into the night.

Sighing, Kyle then opened up the ramp and let it down. Watching both Astrid and Stormfly walk down the ramp, he then asked "Mind flying behind me? It's actually illegal to ride double on a four-wheeler."

"And your point? I thought your helmet said 'Outlaw' on it?" Astrid asked, slightly smiling at Kyle as he lifted the ramp back up.

"I've only done borderline illegal things." Kyle defended "I never out right broke the law!"

"Sure…" Astrid said with a smile, rolling her eyes. "You'll have to tell me why you got that name when we get to the dune."

"I guess I better! I promise that I don't willingly break the law." Kyle said with a laugh, walking towards his KFX 450. "Just follow me then!"

* * *

Kyle slid to a stop, parking just inches away from the peak of the dune. Stepping off, he then turned his phone back on. After letting boot back up, he saw the clock say in bright, white numbers '10:42'.

"Wow…almost New Year's…" he whispered, looking up at the black, infinite dune.

Suddenly his phone began to buzz uncontrollably, causing him to look down. Seeing that he had 17 unread text messages, he just shook his head and ignored them. "You're done Rachel." He whispered, putting the phone in his pocket. Returning his attention to what was going on, Kyle couldn't help but think about what he'd do if Astrid couldn't get back to her home.

"Well, that wasn't a long flight at all." Astrid said, interrupting Kyle's thoughts. Letting Stormfly land next to the four wheeler, she smoothly jumped off and began to walk towards Kyle.

"Nor a long ride." Kyle added, unstrapping his helmet and taking it off. Letting it hang from the handle bar of the KFX, Kyle then turned his attention to the black dunes.

"Hey Kyle…" Astrid began to say, standing next to him.

"Yeah?" he replied, turning to look at her in the eyes.

"Thanks. I know I said it earlier, but I wouldn't even know what to do if you hadn't…" Astrid's voice began to trail off.

"No problem." Kyle quickly returned, smiling broader. Returning his gaze across the sand dunes, Kyle kept on saying "Honestly, it wasn't much of a choice for me. I've always tried to be a good guy. Even to strangers. I guess this was just a test."

"So why do you have 'Outlaw' written on your helmet?" Astrid asked, taking a seat on the sand.

"Heh, well…" Kyle began also sitting next to her "It began when a group of friends and I were riding our quads on a dirt trail. It was a ride that we rode frequently and eventually became pretty boring." Kyle then shook his head with a smile, adding "So we did some pretty stupid things."

"What did you do then?" Astrid asked, smiling at where the story was going.

"Well…one day, we decided to go paintballing on our trail. Nothing out of the ordinary about that."

"Ok, hold on. What's paintballing?" Astrid cut in.

"It's where we shoot each other with small balls that explode with paint in them." Kyle explained "It's something we do for fun."

"Ok, I can see that." Astrid said "We fight each other often to keep us from getting rusty. And to mess with each other."

"Heh I bet; anyways," Kyle continued "I decided to take it up notch by shooting my friends while riding my quad. I should also mention that it's illegal to shoot anything while in a moving vehicle."

"So that's how you got the name Outlaw?" Astrid asked, not seeing it as that big of a deal.

"Well…no. It's what I did after." Kyle said, a bigger smile forming on his face. "A ranger saw me doing it and went to pull me over. And I didn't stop. I led him on a chase for a few minutes until he gave up when I turned down a steep hill. I was lucky to get away, and frankly, shouldn't have run. When I got back to my friends, they started to call me an outlaw. The name's stuck ever since!"

"You said you don't do anything to break the law." Astrid asked, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Sue me." Kyle replied with a smile. Then in a serious tone, continued to say "Since the names stuck to me, I've been trying to become a…I don't know how to explain it other than someone who's just a good guy. Don't get me wrong, I love the nickname Outlaw! But a lot of people now perceive me as a rule breaker and a renegade."

"I haven't thought that since I've met you." Astrid said quietly.

"Because I'm trying to be a 'good' guy." Kyle explained "I've always been taught that actions define who a person is. I want my actions to define me as a friend that will give you his shirt off his back to help you. Jake is a perfect example of that. All my life he's been a huge role model to me. I remember one time that I broke one of my mom's plates when I was super little. I was terrified of what might happen to me and wanted to hide the plate and not tell her. Jake convinced me to tell mom what happened, to which I did. It all worked out in the end. She wasn't mad or anything, just happy that I told her." Taking a moment to think about him, Kyle then laughed and added "He's always been that guy to look out for others and do what's right. In fact he's trained to be a police officer."

"What's that?" Astrid asked

"Probably the same as a warrior where you're from." Kyle said with a smile "They try to protect others who are unable to."

"He sounds like an amazing example to try and follow. Have you and Jake always been close?" Astrid asked quizzically.

Nodding, Kyle then said "Our entire lives. I mean we have disagreements and fights, but nothing that really shatters relationships. Just sibling rivalry." Smiling, he then said "I'm willing to bet he would have believed your story faster than it took me to believe it. In fact he did!"

"To be fair, he heard my story while seeing Stormfly. You were beginning to believe me before we knew she was here!" Astrid pointed out "I think it's awesome that you want to be a good guy Kyle, I really do. But I think you should give yourself some credit about who you are right now. You've been so willing to help me. I mean come on, I'm not even part of this world and you're giving up a holiday to help me!"

Kyle just smiled at the compliment. Though it was a strange event, he was glad that he got to meet Astrid. Now he really wanted to help her get home. Just as he was about to thank her, he felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it out, he saw that it was Jake calling him.

"It's Jake. Probably trying to figure out where we're at exactly." Kyle explained to Astrid, who was staring at his phone. Swiping the screen, he then answered by saying "Need a signal?"

"Just flash your lights. You're over by The Wall right?" Jake asked, with his engine roaring in the background.

"Yeah, just north of it." Kyle replied, standing up from where he was sitting. Walking to his four wheeler, he then flashed his lights.

"Ah I see you!" Jake's voice said "Hey do me a favor. I need you to go to the vendors and get some glow sticks. I'd rather use those for lights rather than our head lights or flashlights. Be less likely to be spotted by others."

"They're open this late? It's almost New Years!" Kyle stated, confused at the request.

"Yeah, I bought a Gatorade on my way to Terrance's." Jake answered.

"Why didn't you get them while you were there!?" Kyle asked angrily.

"I just thought of it. I'll take Astrid and we'll ride around to see if we can't figure out how to get her back." Jake replied, unfazed by Kyle's anger "Your quad would be faster, and I can legally take Astrid around the dunes."

"Fine…" Kyle muttered, still angry. Looking up, he saw Jake's headlights come into view. "I'll leave her here and get going. You know where I'm exactly at right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Get going. The sooner you get those lights the sooner we can really look around the dunes." Jake answered, revving his engine to get up a hill.

"Stay in cell service. I want to be able to call you." Kyle quickly said, not wanting to lose Jake.

"For sure. Now get going!" Jake said loudly, cresting over the hill he was climbing.

Hanging up, Kyle glanced down at his phone and muttered "Punk…" Looking up at Astrid he then explained what was going on "Jake's going to take you for a ride around the dunes. See if you two can't find anything to help you get back home. I'm going to get some lights for us. One's that won't make us that noticeable."

"Oh…ok." Astrid said, also standing up "How long will you be?"

"Probably a half hour" Kyle replied, getting on his KFX "In case you find your way home before I get back, good luck Astrid. Glad I was able to meet you."

Astrid just smiled and said "You too Kyle. I hope you'll see the person that you are…even if you're an outlaw."

Smiling at her joke, Kyle strapped his helmet on and started his four wheeler. About to open the throttle up, he felt something push him from behind. Turning he saw that he was staring at Stormfly. "Take care girl! Thanks for the memory!" Kyle said, laughing as he scratched the dragons' head. "Take care of Astrid if I don't see you again."

Stormfly just squawked, understanding what Kyle meant.

"That's pretty cool." Kyle said with a smile "I wish I could learn more about dragons."

"Who knows? You just might." Astrid said with a smile "Now get going! The sooner you leave, the better the chance we can say a real good-bye."

"You sound like Jake." Kyle huffed, opening the throttle. Spewing sand behind him, he drifted the KFX 450 down the dune they were on and headed towards where the vendors were camped.

Watching Kyle drive off, Astrid couldn't help but feel a little sad. Though they've only know each other for a very short time, she couldn't help know Kyle was going to be a friend for a long time. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Jake's Razor until he parked it next to her.

"You ok?" Jake called out, not turning off the engine.

"Wha? Oh, yeah." Astrid replied, taken back by how close Jake parked to her.

"Hop in. We'll start driving around." Jake said, opening the passenger door.

Slowly, Astrid walked over to the seat. Though she knew Jake was helping, she just didn't know him as well as Kyle. Staring at the passenger seat, she then glanced over at Stormfly who was watching her.

"Don't worry, the dragon can follow us." Jake said with a smile "Besides, you'll never have the chance to see what it's like to have fun on the sand in this thing!"

Smiling, Astrid then climbed into the seat. "Follow us Stormfly" She called out, closing the door.

Jake then helped her buckle the five point harness, knowing she'd struggle with it. "Alright, let's go up a little farther south. Start from there." Jake said, putting the Razor in gear.

"Sounds good." Astrid said, gripping the handle in front of her.

"Hold on! We're about to have some fun!" Jake said laughing, pushing the gas pedal to the floor.

* * *

Hiccup landed Toothless on another dune. Stepping off of him, he just looked up at the moon that was shining down on him, revealing an exhausted and dirty face. "Astrid…" he whispered. Collapsing on his knees, he then began to weep again. For the last few hours he spent tirelessly searching for her and Stormfly was beginning to catch up to him.

Toothless at this point walked next to Hiccup and tried to comfort him, knowing what his trainer was going through.

"Where could they be bud?" Hiccup whispered, looking at the infinite sand "I don't think they could have been buried…could they?" Turning his thoughts towards the possibility, he couldn't help but think to himself "If that's the case, then that would mean they're…No! They're fine! Just lost!" At that, Hiccup stood up and began to call out "Astrid! Stormfly! Where are you!?"

Even Toothless shot a plasma blast into the air, as if to signal where they were at.

"Come on bud…We got to keep looking for them!" Hiccup said loudly, spurred on by the potential possibility.

Toothless just growled as Hiccup climbed back on. Though he too was stressed about Astrid and Stormfly missing, he was starting to get tired from all the flying and searching.

"Just another hour bud." Hiccup said, reading Toothless' reaction "We got to keep trying."

Before Toothless launched into the air, a faint roar sounded off in the distance. Toothless then began to focus on trying to hear where it was coming from.

"What is it bud? Can you hear Astrid!?" Hiccup asked anxiously, seeing Toothless try to hear.

Closing his eyes, Toothless then began to turn around as he followed the sound. Re-opening his eyes, both he and Hiccup saw what was making the sound. Another sandstorm was heading there way.

"Not again!" Hiccup shouted, frustrated and angry seeing the storm barreling towards them. Stepping off of Toothless, he then said "We'll have to wait it out like last time. I don't want to end up where we're going to need help like Astrid and Stormfly."

Toothless just growled, folding his wings over both him and Hiccup. Making sure that the wings were completely covering them, Toothless then rested his head on the sand and closed his eyes.

"Alright bud, I guess now is as good of time to get a little rest." Hiccup whispered, looking out of a small hole that the wings left open. Staring at the sand as it got closer, he couldn't help but tense up moments before the wind beat on Toothless' wings. Sounding like thousands of Terrible Terrors beating on a drum at once, Hiccup couldn't help but cover his ears to help ease the thumping sounds. The roar of the wind was just as deafening.

"Astrid…I'm sorry…" Hiccup whispered, watching the howling sand chip away what hope he had left of finding her.

* * *

Kyle pulled up to the vendors. Confused, he killed the engine and began to walk down the desolate alley of campers and stands. Everything was closed and shut up!

"Serious Jake…" Kyle whispered angrily to himself "Where'd you buy your Gatorade?"

Continuing to walk along the small shops, he then saw a man with his family sitting on some lawn chairs and enjoying the night.

"Excuse me sir?" Kyle asked, walking towards the family "Can you help me for a second."

"What's going on?" The man asked, standing up from his chair and walking to meet Kyle.

"I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of where I can find someone selling glow sticks. My brother came by earlier and said that there were some vendors still open."

"Well…I think your brother is mistaken. Everyone closed up around the same time at 9." The man replied with a smile.

"But he said he just bought a drink? Like not even 15 minutes ago." Kyle argued, confused at what was going on.

"If he did, it wasn't from here." The man continued "I haven't even seen a bike, four wheeler, or side-by-side since we closed up."

Puzzling over what the man said, Kyle just began to nod and say "Thanks for your help. I'll have to give him a call."

"Sorry I can't be much help!" The man replied with a smile "Have a Happy New Year!"

"You too!" Kyle said out loud, walking towards his four wheeler. Arriving to it, he then pulled off his helmet and took his phone out of his pocket. Calling Jake, he then sat on the four wheeler and waited for Jake to pick up. "I'm going to kill you Jake…" Kyle breathed angrily. He hated wasting his time, even more so when something as important as helping Astrid was on the line.

"Hey, this is Jake Bryson. Sorry I couldn't get to the phone. Leave your name and number and I'll call you back ASAP."

"Dammit Jake!" Kyle shouted. Hearing the beep to leave a message, he then shouted even louder into the speaker "You're a real tool you know Jake. The vendors here have been closed since 9! And since you're out of cell service, I'm just heading back to try and find you guys!" Angrily hanging up, Kyle then strapped his helmet back on and started his KFX in anger. Shifting it in gear, he popped the clutch and did a wheelie away from the vendors, cussing at Jake as he left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"So! What'd ya think?" Jake asked, slowing down the Razor as he crested over a hill. Jumping his side-by-side, he then parked it.

Astrid just sat there with white knuckles, gripping the handle in a death grip. Finally collecting herself, she then said "I didn't know you could go that fast on the ground! It's so different than flying." Grinning, she then added "Maybe I should take you for a ride on Stormfly."

"I'll pass." Jake quickly replied. Then, with a smile, added "It's also a lot different riding rather than driving." Finally looking around the dunes, he then said "So did you feel anything? Notice anything while we were driving?"

Shaking her head, Astrid said "No. I was busy trying to hold on when you were driving. Everything looks the same to me."

Nodding, Jake then felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw that it was Terrance calling. "'Scuse me, I need to take this." Jake said, looking at Astrid who was staring at his phone. Answering it, he then said "'Ello?"

"Jake! Where are you dude?" Terrance's voice said loudly "We're waiting on you!"

"Hold on man." Jake said, putting a smile on his face "We're only a couple of minutes away from you. We'll meet up in a few, cool?"

"Hurry up! We still think your nuts, but everything's ready like you asked." Terrance said angrily "Better be a good reason for us to stop celebrating the New Year." Terrance loudly said in the speaker.

"Trust me, it'll be worth it." Jake answered, looking at Astrid. Giving her a thumbs up, he then said "We're heading over right now." Hanging up, Jake then lied to Astrid saying "That was Kyle. He needs some help, so we're going to meet up with him. He's at another trailer."

"Sounds like a plan." Astrid replied, nodding at what Jake was saying "I'll try to focus on seeing anything familiar. Just don't go to crazy where I can't see anything!"

"Fine, I'll ease up a bit." Jake said laughing. Feeling the phone vibrate again, he looked down to see that Kyle was calling him. With a small grin, Jake just let it ring and stuck it in his pocket. "Ready?" He asked, looking at Astrid who just nodded. Putting the Razor in gear, he then started to drive away from the dune they originally started on.

"Why's Kyle over at another trailer?" Astrid asked, fighting the G-forces acting against her "I thought he was meeting up with us?"

"It was where he was able to find the glow sticks. He didn't have any money on him to buy them, so that's why we're meeting up to help him out." Jake explained, smiling at Astrid "Just focus on finding something that's noticeable, and make sure your dragon keeps close."

Nodding, Astrid twisted her head around to see Stormfly gliding behind them, lazily banking this way and that. "Going to have to give Kyle a hard time for not bringing anything to buy the lights." She said out loud, returning to her seat.

"You and me both!" Jake said laughing, drifting the Razor around a dune. "And it won't be long either! Just on the other side of the dune is where the trailer is."

As soon as they crested the hill, Jake slowed down the Razor and pointed to the trailer parked and lit up with lights. A few people were outside of it as well. "You've got to be kidding me…That's Terrance and my buddies!" Jake said with a smile "Looks like you get to meet a few of my friends."

"Would it be better if I stayed here?" Astrid asked, looking at Jake with some hesitancy.

"Nah, they're good guys. I trust 'em." Jake replied, looking at Astrid "Who knows, maybe after meeting them you might choose to stay here!"

"Probably not. Kyle's the only one that could make me want to stay, but not that bad." Astrid replied, frowning about meeting new people "Just don't expect me to tell my story again. I'm getting tired of explaining myself."

"Deal." Jake said, nodding at Astrid's request.

Turning around, Astrid then ordered Stormfly who landed behind them to stay. "Don't worry girl, we'll be back. I promise."

"Is she protective of you?" Jake asked, letting the Razor drive forward.

"Very. Saved my life more than a few times." Astrid replied, staring at the camp that was getting closer.

"Dragons sound like amazing creatures…" Jake whispered loudly, pulling up to a massive truck that was parked next to the trailer "Well, let's go help Kyle out inside."

Letting Jake help her out of her seatbelt, she figured out how to open the door and climbed out.

"Jake! Where've you been?" Terrance asked out loud, obviously angry about something. Astrid slowly walked behind Jake, not sure of what to think about his friends.

"Terrance, guys, I'd like you to meet Astrid. Kyle's and mine guest." Jake introduced, smiling at Astrid and motioning to step forward "Astrid, these are my buddies clear back in middle school; Terrance, Hayden, Jesse, and Cody."

"Nice to meet you" Astrid said, still looking over them. Terrance had shaggy, dirty blonde hair; longer than Jakes. His face was clean shaven like Jakes though. Hayden had short, trimmed brown hair; and had a goatee. Jesse had short, white blonde hair that made his skin look dark and tanner than it was. Cody was the shortest one of the group, making Astrid feel like a giant when she looked down on him. He had long black hair, tied in a small pony tail and a scraggly beard. He was also the only one in the group to be wearing sunglasses.

"Astrid huh? That's a different name!" Terrance stated, extending his hand out to her "Where you from?"

Before she could answer, Jake cut in and said "Up from Reno area. In Nevada. Her dad and my dad are friends, so while they're out at Vegas, she's with me and Kyle." Motioning towards the trailer, he then asked "Is Kyle in there?"

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief. At least Jake was keeping his word with not having explain herself again.

Terrance just smiled and nodded at Jake, and then looked at Astrid "Yeah, he's just getting a quick drink. You should come in too."

Astrid was about to protest, when Jake said "Why don't you go get him Astrid? Remind him we're on a time table?"

"Sure." Astrid replied, walking towards the trailer.

"Hayden, Jesse, help her out." Jake said with a smile.

As Astrid opened the door to the trailer and walked in, she then scanned the trailer for Kyle. Seeing that he wasn't there, she then felt someone grab her from behind. "Oof! Let go! Get off of me!" Astrid shouted, struggling to get free. Feeling that her attackers head was right behind her, she then jerked up and smashed the attacker's nose with the back of her head.

Instantly released, she turned to see Hayden on the floor and holding his nose. "Jake! Help!" Astrid shouted, dodging Jesse from trying to grab her. Side stepping Jesse, she then brought her knee up and hit him in the stomach, causing him to couple over. Making a sprint towards the door, she felt her legs get tripped up and causing her to fall two feet from the doorway.

"Help me out Jesse!" Hayden shouted, rolling over from where he laid. Grabbing one of Astrid's arms, he then tried to pin her to the ground while wiping some blood that was coming out of his nose.

While trying to get free from Hayden, Astrid saw Jesse stand up and begin to run towards them. Lifting her leg, she caught him in the stomach a second time and sent him flying into the table, causing it to smash under his weight. Focusing on Hayden, she then used her free arm to punch him in the nose, instantly making Hayden let go and scream in pain.

Scrambling to get back up, she saw Jesse begin to roll back onto his feet. Not wasting a second, she kicked him in the ribs, instantly dropping him. Running past Hayden who was still groaning in pain, she bolted out the door. Upon running outside, she saw Cody running at her at a full on sprint. Anticipating the charge, she side stepped him and swung her arm to clothesline him in the neck. Landing hard on his back, Cody just lay there, gasping for a breath.

Ignoring the new assailant, Astrid then began to spring towards the dune where Stormfly was waiting. "Stormfly!" She shouted, only to be tackled from behind. Landing face first in the sand, Astrid pulled her head back to see Jake pinning her, holding her arms behind her back and driving his knee in her as well.

"Terrance! Get the net ready!" Jake shouted, looking up the hill to watch for Stormfly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Astrid saw Terrance drag a net from under the trailer, running towards Jake. "Stormfly! Get away! Go get help!" Astrid shouted, trying to look up the dune.

At that, a roar sounded off and Stormfly launched into the air, flying behind a sand dune and away from the trailer.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Terrance gasped, watching Stormfly disappear.

"Think about it later! Help me out with Astrid!" Jake shouted, making sure Astrid couldn't move. His police training helped him a ton with holding her down, that and hitting her from behind.

"Right give me a sec!" Terrance replied loudly, dropping the net and running to grab something

"Jake! What are you doing!?" Astrid shouted, trying to pull her arms free.

"Well, I was trying to get your dragon." Jake yelled back, driving his knee into her back a little more to immobilize her "Now it's coming up with another plan to get her!"

"What!? Why? I thought you were trying to help us!" Astrid shouted, trying to spit out the sand in her mouth.

"Until I realized that I could make millions for finding a real life dragon." Jake whispered, looking up at Terrance who was sprinting towards him.

Astrid felt her arms pulled together, and then heard as if something was ripping. Feeling her arms being tightly wrapped in something, she tried to fight it only to get Jake's knee pushed farther in her back, causing her to arch it even more.

"Good! Now the legs." Jake ordered, still applying pressure on Astrid.

Feeling her boots get held together and wrapped similarly like her arms, Astrid then said "Are you kidding me!? I trusted you Jake! Kyle trusted you!"

"Made it easy to get rid of him." Jake answered back, stepping off of Astrid.

Trying to get free from whatever tied her arms and legs together, she rolled over onto her back, giving it much needed relief. Staring at what bound her legs together, she stared at the silver, rope like string that clung to her.

"Duct tape." Jake said with a smile "Don't think you can get out of it on your own." Turning to a stumbling Cody and Jesse, he then said "I told you not to take her lightly. We almost lost her because of you guys!"

"Shut up Jake." Jesse growled, clinging his ribs "You should go check on Hayden, pretty sure his nose is broke."

"Terrance, you better go check up on him." Jake said "I've got to come up with another plan to get Stormfly back here."

"Don't bother!" Astrid shouted "She won't come until I tell her too! I'll just keep on shouting to stay away."

"Can't have that then can we…" Jake whispered, glaring at Astrid. "Jesse, hold her head. Terrance, give me the duct tape."

Astrid tried to move her head away from Jesse, but failed as he held it in place. Jake then ripped a few pieces of tape and then said "This is for making it harder to get your dragon." At that, he tightly placed the few strips of tape over her mouth, rendering her to only be able to say a few muffled, angry grunts.

"Rrmmfff!" Astrid growled, glaring at Jake who stepped back from her.

"What do we do now?" Cody asked, staring at Astrid.

"Well, I know that Stormfly will try to protect her if she sees her in trouble." Jake said, looking over at Hayden and Terrance, who were walking towards them. Hayden's nose was reset in place and stopped bleeding; even though he was still in pain.

"So…we threaten her?" Terrance asked.

"Yes. But we're going to need to put the cargo net somewhere hidden and above them." Looking at the trailer, he then said "Like on top of your camper."

"So…from what I'm hearing, we set Astrid next to the trailer, while hiding with the net above her." Cody replied, putting the plan together in his head.

"Nailed it. That way we can throw the net over them when Stormfly comes to help her." Jake said "I'll act like I'm going to hurt Astrid, while you guys hide on top of the trailer."

"Sounds like a plan to me…" Terrance said, looking at Astrid who was still glaring at them "I know you told us, but I still can't believe that I saw a dragon. I mean a real live dragon!"

"I know. My world is still rocked because of it." Jake said, kneeling down and picking Astrid up.

"Mmmphhhh!" Astrid cried into her gag, trying to get her hands free as she felt herself lifted up.

Ignoring Astrid, Jake slung her over his shoulder and carried her next to the trailer. "What time is it guys?" he asked out loud, focusing on balancing Astrid.

Glancing at his phone, Jesse said "11:05"

"Awesome. Hopefully, by the New Year, we could become the next millionaires!" Jake replied laughing "All thanks to you Astrid." Then with an evil smile, added "Told you you'd stay here…"

Being set down next to the trailer, Astrid just glared at Jake, wishing she could fight him like she did the others. Watching Jake help his friends carry the big net on top of the camper trailer, she just stared up at the night sky and wishing she could tell Stormfly to stay away.

* * *

"Hey, this is Jake Bryson. Sorry I couldn't get to the phone. Leave your name and number and I'll call you back ASAP." Kyle's phone sang into his ear.

"Come on!" Kyle shouted into the speaker "What part of 'stay in cell service' did you not understand!?" Hanging up for the sixth time, he just scanned the dunes for anything that would hint at a vehicle driving. Lights, engine sound, anything! With the wind picking up and blowing sand over any kind of tracks left, it was impossible to try and find them.

Glancing down at his phone, he saw an 11:07 brightly shining on his screen. "Where did you go Jake?" Kyle whispered, shaking his head at the mystery. Shaking his head, Kyle then slid his helmet back on and was about to start the engine again when he heard a faint squawk. Freezing, he instantly looked up to see Stormfly barreling towards him.

"What the!?" Kyle shouted, diving off his KFX and onto the sand. Rolling over onto his back, he saw Stormfly land right next to him, with an anxious look on her face.

"Stormfly? Where's Astrid?" Kyle asked, standing back up onto his feet.

Squawking, Stormfly began to push Kyle, as if trying to get him to move somewhere.

"Hold on girl! Hold on!" Kyle said loudly, trying to not get pushed over "What's going on?" Realizing what he was saying, he then shouted "Gah! What am I doing? You obviously can't tell me!" Looking at Stormfly in the eye, he then said "Take me to her girl!" At that, he ran to his KFX and was about to start the engine a second time, only to feel himself jerked off and flying through the air.

"WHAT THE!? AAAGGGHHH!" Kyle screamed, staring at the ground as it got farther and farther away. Looking up, he saw that Stormfly was literately taking him to Astrid. "Just don't drop me ok girl!" he shouted, still unnerved that the only thing that was preventing him from falling a few hundred feet was Stormfly herself.

Focusing on what lay ahead, Kyle couldn't help but smile as he glided around a dune. It was almost a magical experience to be able to fly without an engine or some kind of propulsion. The eerie silence of the night was only interrupted by the sound of Stormfly flapping her wings ever so often to stay aloft.

"This is amazing…" he whispered out loud. Looking up at Stormfly, he then said "I hate to admit it, but this might be cooler than dune riding!"

Stormfly let out a soft squawk, acknowledging Kyle's comment. Then, without warning, dove down. Kyle lost his breath at the sudden move, making him feel like his stomach was in his throat. Gliding not even a few feet from the sand, Stormfly slowed down and let Kyle drop.

"Wha! Oof!" Kyle grunted, landing and rolling in the sand. Dazed for a second, Kyle just shook his head and sat up. Looking over to Stormfly who was peeking over a sand dune, Kyle crawled towards her and looked over the dune as well.

Seeing a trailer all lit up, Kyle whispered "What do we have here?" Peering down, he saw Jake's Razor parked next to a truck. "What are you doing here Jake?" Kyle whispered, looking at all the other dirt bikes and four wheelers parked. "Wait…is that Terrance?" he whispered in surprise, looking down at a lone figure walking to his truck. The blonde hair was his only clue, but when he looked for his brother Jake, he saw something a lot more disturbing. It was Astrid, leaning against the camper and, from the distance from where he was at, tied up. Standing next to her was Jake, talking to another one of his friends.

"Jake!?" Kyle shouted, anger overtaking him. Looking at Stormfly, he then said "Stay here girl! I'll be right back!" At that, he stood up and sprinted down the hill. Taking off his helmet, it didn't take long for him to be greeted by Cody and Terrance.

"Kyle! This is a nice surprise!" Terrance began to say, only to be shoved aside by Kyle.

Fueled by his anger, he felt as if his blood was boiling. "Jake! What the hell are you doing!? What's going on?" He shouted, walking up to him and Astrid. Seeing Astrid with her arms behind her back, the gag over her mouth, and the several strands of duct tape around her boots just added to the inner rage in him. About to kneel down to untie her, he was quickly shoved away by Jake.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to get her dragon!" Jake replied, getting hot with anger as well "How did you find us!?"

"Jake! Are you kidding me!? Please tell me this is a sick joke, because this isn't funny man!" Kyle yelled, staring at Jake. Gesturing to Astrid who was trying to twist her legs out of the duct tape, he then said "This is kidnapping! The only thing that will get you thrown in jail faster is murder!"

"No one will have to know if we can just get the dragon." Jake said coldly, standing in between Astrid and Kyle. Then, narrowing his eyes, added "You know where Stormfly is don't you…"

"I might, but she's not coming anywhere near here!" Kyle shouted, glaring back at Jake. Then, almost pleading, said "What about your future? What about you being a cop? Is this upholding the law?"

"I never was sworn in yet, and what about it? I can make millions by turning in a real dragon to the right people, versus getting a skimpy 50 grand a year putting my life on the line for ungrateful nation! You do the math!" Jake yelled. Then, reigning in his anger, he then said "Tell you what. You help me get Stormfly, I'll go half with my share. Think about it Kyle. Just put it into a few stocks, mutual funds. You could live off interest the rest of your life! Not to mention the yearly paycheck for letting people run tests on the dragon!"

"Jake…" Kyle whispered in disbelief "This…This isn't what you taught me. What happened? You would never do anything like this."

Jake's face darkened, knowing that their relationship was now damaged to the point that it would never be the same.

"What about mom!? Dad even!" Kyle added, getting louder. Gesturing to Jake's friends that were now standing around them, he added "Did you pull them into this? Or is this all their idea? I hope it's the latter."

"No." Jake softly replied "It was all my idea. To be honest, I thought you'd be onboard with it as well. I mean, we're the only ones who even know the existence of Astrid. No one else would need to know about her. Turning in a dragon would be easy money, so you wouldn't have to work in a warehouse anymore; shoot, you wouldn't have to work anymore!"

"But it's wrong!" Kyle quickly fired back, pleading with his brother "Don't you see that? Isn't that what you taught me my entire life?"

"Funny thing coming from you…Outlaw." Jake said, narrowing his eyes.

"You don't have the right to call me that!" Kyle shouted, his rage building back up "You're more of an Outlaw now than I ever have been!" Then, stepping up to his brother, he said quietly "You taught me to do the right thing no matter the case. And you know what? That's what I'm going to do. With or without you. So let her go right now, before I do it myself."

Jake didn't say anything. Everyone stared at the brothers in silence; except Astrid who was still trying to break her bonds. Nodding slowly, Jake took a step back and whispered "I'll give you 10 seconds to run. Then I'm sending everyone to get you, and bring you back here. I should just take you down right now, but since you are my brother, I'll give you that much."

Kyle looked at Jake in surprise. Looking around him, he saw Terrance, Jesse, Hayden, and Cody ready to tackle him. Looking back at Jake, he whispered "Jake…you know this is wrong. No matter the reason." Looking down at Astrid who in turn looked up at him, he wasn't sure of what to do.

"Mmpphh!" Astrid grunted through her gag, motioning to get going.

"Give me 15 seconds." Kyle said, stepping back from Jake.

"Deal. I'll count down when you start running." Jake said without any emotion "I'm sorry it's come down to this."

"No you're not." Kyle replied coldly, strapping his motocross helmet on "If you were, you'd let her go." At that, he sprinted away from the camper, leaving Astrid and the others behind.

"Now Jake?" Terrance asked, watching Kyle sprint up the dune he ran down from.

Shaking his head, he said "10…9…"

Astrid at this point had enough of Jake; everyone there in fact. Sliding in the sand to get closer behind Jake, she then lifted her tied feet and kicked him behind the knee, causing him to fall.

"Garrghh!" Jake shouted, falling to the sand. Everyone then rushed Astrid, holding her to keep her from kicking at Jake.

"Errggghhhh!" Jake growled, picking himself up. Glaring at Astrid, he then said "You're lucky I need you right now." At that, he realized he let Kyle have a longer head start than he wanted him to have. "Cody! Terrance! Run him down! Get on your bikes!" he ordered in a panic, looking up to see Kyle half way up the dune.

The two instantly ran to their dirt bikes and fired up the engines. Revving the engines, they threw a wall of sand behind them as they chased Kyle.

Looking behind him, Kyle knew that there was no way he could out run them. Focusing on dodging them, he watched as Cody was about to run him down. Suddenly, a hail of spikes flew into the bike, puncturing the engine, fuel tank, and into Cody's leg.

"Arrgggh! The hell!?" Cody shouted, crashing into the sand. Gripping his leg, he shouted "Help me out Terrance!"

Terrance at this point stopped and stared at a blue dragon as it flew down and knocked him off his bike.

"Stormfly!" Kyle shouted, relieved and panicked at the same time. "Get out of here!"

Landing, Stormfly lowered herself; as if wanting Kyle to get on.

Taken back by the action, Kyle wasn't sure if he should or if he was even able to. Turning around, he could see Terrance picking himself up and starting to run towards him. "Good enough for me!" Kyle shouted, running to Stormfly. Grabbing the handles on the saddle, he hoisted himself up onto the seat. Barely setting himself in, he felt Stormfly launch into the air, causing him to grip the handles for dear life.

"No!" Terrance screamed, diving and grabbing Stormfly's leg. Being lifted into the air, he quickly let go, realizing that he would just go higher and higher without slowing down the dragon.

"Hey Terrance!" Kyle shouted, turning his head to look at the stunned kid "Give Jake a message for me!" At that he raised his middle finger and flipped off Terrance. Focusing on what lay ahead. Shaking his head, he made sure he was sitting center in the saddle before he reached for his phone. Pulling it out, he glanced at the time. "11:19" he whispered. The wind had picked up noticeably, only adding to the stress that was already on him. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in a sand storm. Letting Stormfly land on the tallest dune in the desert, he slowly dismounted. Staring down to the speck of light where Astrid was, he promptly sat himself in the sand and stared at the light in disbelief.

Today was just a roller coaster for Kyle. From finding Astrid in the sand, to seeing a real live dragon, to finding Jake betray everything that Kyle thought was his life. Lowering his head, he just closed his eyes and whispered "And you know what's crazy? The night's still young. I'm sure a lot more is going to happen before we're through..."

* * *

**The story is warming up! Hope you enjoyed it! As I said before, this story is just to help build a relationship between Kyle and the HTTYD universe. Have a great day/week!**

**P.S. Changed the title to actually have a title; rather than ACT I. Makes it more...personal I guess.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Is the light charged?" Jake asked, walking up to Terrance who was holding up a massive spotting light.

"Yup. This thing will let us see objects as far as the eye can see." Terrance said, flicking on the light. Instantly the inside of the trailer became brighter than noon day, making Jake nod with satisfaction.

"Good. We'll need it to be able to spot Stormfly when she comes back." He said, beginning to walk out of the camper.

"What makes you so sure that she'll come back?" Terrance asked, following Jake out "I mean, I hope she does."

"Astrid told me that her life was saved many a times by her dragon." Jake said walking out and looking down at Astrid, who was still in the same position next to the trailer. Hayden was guarding her while Jesse was helping bandage Cody's leg. Thankfully, the spike only went through his calf muscle of his leg. This meant that the injury wasn't serious and didn't need immediate medical attention. Continuing his thought, Jake added "If we wait long enough, Stormfly will come to try and save her."

"Ok, but we can't stay out here forever." Terrance argued, walking towards Jake's Razor. Starting to mount the light to the roll cage, he then added "I can stay for another two days, but then I need to go!"

"Don't worry about that." Jake said, glancing down at his phone "It's 11:24 right now. If Stormfly doesn't come before the New Year, then I'll make her come to us."

"How?" Terrance asked, finishing bolting the light on.

Jake just looked over at Astrid, glaring at him and still trying to twist her arms and legs free.

"Oh…" Terrance whispered.

"I figured that when the dragon hears her master screaming for help, she won't hesitate to come help." Jake said darkly, making sure Astrid could hear him.

"Ok, two questions." Terrance asked, stepping down from the Razor "How will we be able to fight the dragon? I mean, Cody got lucky with the leg. And second, what's keeping Kyle from reporting this to the park rangers?"

"He won't go to the rangers, not without risking exposing Stormfly and Astrid." Jake answered, looking up at the night sky, he continued "and to fight the dragon? Well, that's why I'm going to be the only one next to Astrid. I can run and hide under or even inside the trailer. I want the rest of you ready to throw the net on her when she comes to help Astrid."

Nodding, Terrance then shrugged and said "If it gets us a couple million, I'm still in."

Laughing, Jake then commented "Of course you are! Got to repair that table in your trailer now huh?"

"I'm taking that out of Hayden's and Jesse's cut. They should have pinned her without her kicking their butt's." Terrance said loud enough so they could hear.

"You know, maybe I should untie her to let you two fight!" Hayden shouted, his nose crooked from the hits he took "See how easy it is for you!"

"Sure you will." Terrance teased "And have a chance to lose the few million we'll make?"

Hayden just shook his head and returned his attention to watching Astrid.

Astrid at this point, had stopped struggling. Knowing it was impossible to free herself, she just waited. Waiting for something to happen before Jake got impatient looking for Stormfly. Shaking her head, she then let it hang low. How could she have let her guard down with Jake? She never trusted him from the beginning. Well, she never trusted him like Kyle. Looking back up to see Jake talking to Cody, who was still laying on the table with a freshly bandaged leg; she just glared at him and wished she could redo her fight. She'd make sure Jake wouldn't tackle her from behind. Knowing regrets were pointless, she closed her eyes and began to think of Hiccup

"I wonder what he's doing now…" She thought to herself, wishing she never let go of his hand in the sand storm.

Hearing someone walk to her, she looked up to see Jake staring at her. Kneeling down, he then slowly pulled the tape off her mouth.

"Comfortable?" He asked, glaring at her.

"You are a steaming heap of dragon-" Astrid hissed, glaring back at Jake.

"Easy…don't say something you might regret." Jake interrupted quietly.

"And you better not do anything you will regret!" Astrid shouted, sitting up straight "Oh wait…you already have!"

Jake frowned at her, saying "Don't you get it? As soon as I get your dragon, you're not needed anymore. If you keep fighting me, the chances of me keeping you alive after lowers." Scooting closer to her, he then whispered "For your sake, I'd hope you choose to help us out…"

"You hurt me, I'm sure Kyle will hunt you down. So will Stormfly and Hiccup with is Night Fury!" Astrid threatened, not taking her eyes off of Jake.

"Hiccup?" Jake asked in confusion.

"The Dragon Master! And chief of Berk!" Astrid expounded "His Night Fury is invisible when flying in the night!" She knew Hiccup wasn't here, but she could still try and scare Jake into letting her go.

Jake just stared at Astrid taking in this new information. Then, smiling, he said "I hope he comes. If he's chief, then he'll be concerned for you. And if he's concerned for you…I can use that against him."

Astrid just stared at Jake, knowing that he would try to manipulate Hiccup. Not wanting to tell him how close they actually were, she just looked away from him.

Smiling, Jake then said "I truly hope I get to meet him…" At that, he stood up and walked away towards Terrance, leaving Astrid with something else to stress about.

"Terrance. I want to make sure we're ready to give chase at a moment's notice." Jake quietly said "I just learned that there might be another dragon rider out there."

"Are you kidding me!?" Terrance gasped "What are we going to do?"

"Stick to the plan." Jake whispered, looking over at Astrid "If we can get him and her together, then we can…strongly persuade them to give us their dragons. Imagine. Two dragons!"

"I can barely wrap my head around just the one!" Terrance replied, still dumbfounded by the fact that there might be another rider.

Laughing, Jake said "Stay on the spotlight, I want to be able to see on the dunes around us when we hear something."

"Got it Jake." Terrance said, walking over to the Razor with the mounted light.

Smiling, Jake finally took a second to realize what was going on. Things were slowly turning out for the better.

* * *

Hiccup finally heard the storm die down to where it was just a strong breeze. Pushing Toothless' wings out of the way, only to reveal that they were half buried in the sand! Slightly panicked, he then shouted "Toothless! We need to get out of here!"

Toothless then spread his wings out, pushing the sand away from them and letting a flood of fresh air rush them.

Standing up from the small hole they were in, Hiccup took a few breaths to relax from the sudden panic of being buried. Finally relaxed, he began to look around to see where he was at. Nothing looked unfamiliar, until he turned to see the ocean. Gasping, he saw that it wasn't there!

"What…what happened?" he whispered, staring all around him. Seeing some massive mountains in the far distance, he then said to Toothless "What happened boy? Where did those mountains come from?"

The two just stared at the infinite, black sand dunes, only lit up by the moonlight. Soaking in the sight, Toothless then heard something. Quietly growling, he crouched low onto the sand and crawled to the edge of the dune. Peeking over the dune, Toothless then began to fidget, obviously anxious with what he saw.

"What's going on Toothless?" Hiccup asked, confused at what his dragon was getting anxious about.

Toothless just motioned for Hiccup to come see. Walking over to Toothless, Hiccup gasped at what he saw. Dropping to his stomach, he stared at Stormfly standing next to a stranger. The stranger was then standing next to Stormfly and talking to her. Unable to hear what the stranger was saying, Hiccup then whispered to Toothless "I can't believe that they're alive! Do you see Astrid?"

Toothless shook his head, staring at the stranger.

Kyle, at this point, was staring into nothing. He had no idea what to do to get Astrid. He couldn't take Stormfly anywhere without risking her to be captured, and he couldn't drive his KFX to get her because Jake and everyone would hear him coming a mile away!

"What're we going to do?" Kyle shouted, ripping his helmet off and throwing it in the sand. Staring angrily at the helmet, he just shook his head and whispered I just don't know what to do anymore…"

Stormfly, who was pretty quiet, suddenly began to prance about; looking over at a dune that was close by them.

"What's going on girl?" Kyle asked, staring at the suddenly happy dragon.

Stormfly ignored Kyle, running towards the dune and squawking loudly.

"Stormfly! Wait!" Kyle shouted, fearing that she was running to a trap. Sprinting after the dragon, he then cut her off and stopped her. "Hold on girl! We can't just go running around like that!"

Stormfly just smiled, looking past Kyle. Confused, Kyle slowly turned around to see what Stormfly was staring at. As soon as he turned completely around, he felt himself rammed in the stomach. Lying flat on his back, Kyle tried to quickly roll onto his feet, only to feel something pin him down by his stomach.

Staring angrily up, Kyle gasped as he looked into two massive eyes of another dragon! The black dragon growled at Kyle, as if daring him to try and get up.

"What the!? Another one!?" Kyle shouted, held at the mercy of the new dragon. Hearing someone walk up next to him, he turned his head to see a metal rod for a foot. Looking up, he stared at the new stranger who then kneeled next to him. Having shaggy brown hair, with brown and black armor, the stranger looked like he was another dragon rider.

The stranger then grabbed Kyle's chest protector and then asked "Who are you? What did you do with Astrid?"

"Wait, what!?" Kyle shouted in confusion "How do you know Astrid? I mean, other than being another dragon rider?"

"Answer my question!" the stranger yelled, shaking Kyle "Where is she!?"

"Gah" Kyle gasped, feeling the dragon apply more pressure on his stomach "She's been captured! By my brother Jake!"

The stranger then had his dragon step off of him. Picking him up by his riding gear, the stranger then asked "So what were you doing with Stormfly!?"

Kyle, at this point, had enough of being yelled at. Breaking free from the strangers grip, he stepped back and shouted back "I was trying to come up with an idea to get Astrid free! Jake wants Stormfly and is holding Astrid hostage in order to lure her into a trap!" Then, pointing to the stranger, demanded "Now tell me who you are and how you know her!"

The stranger didn't relax, but walked over to his dragon to calm it down. "Astrid and I are friends. You can say we know each other really well."

"Wait…" Kyle said, staring at the stranger and his dragon "A black dragon…you said you and Astrid are friends…" Stopping for a second, he then whispered "Are you Hiccup? Berk's chief?"

Hiccup stared at Kyle in shock. Recovering, he then asked "Wait…how do you know my name?"

Laughing, Kyle then said "Astrid told me about you! You and…Toothless? Is that his name?"

"When did Astrid tell you about us? I thought she was captured!" Hiccup said angrily, more so out of confusion.

His smile disappearing, Kyle then began to explain "It's kind of a long story, so I'll give you a short and simple explanation. I found Astrid in the sand. After we figured out that she's not from here, my brother and I went to try and find out how to get her back home." Looking down, he then explained "I trusted my brother too much. When I was away from Astrid, he then tied her up and tried to catch Stormfly."

"Where is she?" Hiccup asked, grabbing Kyle's arm.

Pointing down to where the light of Terrance's camp was, Kyle said "Down there. He's using her as bait to bring Stormfly in. I don't know how, but they plan on catching her."

"Why Stormfly?" Hiccup then asked, glaring at Kyle "Why do they want Stormfly so bad?"

Realizing that Hiccup didn't know what Astrid knew, Kyle then explained "Right, I should explain that we don't have dragons here. We thought they were just creatures from fairy tales and imaginations; non-existent." Looking down at the camp, Kyle continued to say "Jake wants Stormfly because he thinks he can make millions of dollars. I mean, the science community would be killing to do tests on a dragon. Then you have animal rights groups that would rally in support to protect her from being tested and such. There are endless ways for Jake to make money off of a dragon."

Hiccup just stared at Kyle, trying to soak up everything that he was saying. "Where are we then? If you don't have dragons, then what do you use?"

"Vehicles. I don't have mine with me right now, but they're machines that we drive." Gesturing to his chest protector and helmet that still lay in the sand, he then added "That's why I wear this. It helps protect me if I crash."

Still shaken, Hiccup just stared at Kyle, still piecing together all the information.

"Listen." Kyle quickly said, seeing that Hiccup was getting confused "Let's focus on getting Astrid out of there and then I'll explain everything. Better yet, I'll let her explain."

Pulling his thoughts together, Hiccup just nodded his head and said "Yeah that sounds good. What kind of plan have you come up with?"

Looking down, Kyle just shook his head and said "That's the thing I don't have one. I don't want to risk Stormfly or your dragon getting captured." Walking over to his helmet, he explained "Once Jake has a dragon, he has no need for Astrid."

"Wait! Will he kill her?" Hiccup asked, following Kyle "Will your brother do that?"

Sighing, Kyle knelt down and picked up his helmet and shook the sand out of it. "I don't know. This is the first time I ever had to question what he would do." Looking up at Hiccup, he explained "He was my role model. My exemplar. He's completely different from the person I know."

"That doesn't help me." Hiccup said, glancing at the camp below "I need to know if he will do it or not."

His heart torn, Kyle reluctantly said "We should expect him to keep his word. I think he would kill her if he needed to."

Hiccup then narrowed his eyes and stared at Kyle. After a few seconds, he asked "How can I trust you? How do I know you won't betray me when we get down there?"

Shocked at the accusation, Kyle thought for a second. Thinking, he then said "You don't know. The only person that can vouch for me is Astrid. Well, I guess Astrid and Stormfly." Looking at the pretty Nadder, he added "She trusts me, so don't take my word, take hers." At that, Stormfly walked up to Kyle and began to rub against him.

Hiccup stared at Stormfly, watching her push Kyle around. Nodding, he said "I guess I'll have to take her word for it. If you earned a dragon's trust, that's a sure way to tell me you can be trusted." Looking at Toothless, he then said "I'm still alive because Toothless trusts me, and I trust him."

"Thank you." Kyle said, smiling at Stormfly as he scratched her. Looking at Hiccup he then got a good look at him. He wasn't that smaller than Kyle, in fact he'd bet that they were the same weight. Then a thought came to him, one that made him smile. "Hiccup…I was wondering…" he began to say slowly, finishing the idea in his head.

"What?" Hiccup asked unsure of what Kyle was going to ask.

"What do you think about this for a plan?" Kyle said with a wide grin on his face "One where we won't have to initially risk the dragons!"

* * *

"It's 11: 45." Terrance said, still sitting on the Razor with the mounted light. "Think we'll have to use Astrid?"

Jake didn't say anything. He didn't really want to torture Astrid, he just wanted to try and scare her into giving up Stormfly. But now, it was looking like he might have to, as he didn't want to appear weak in front of his friends and to show Astrid that he doesn't make idle threats. Shaking his head, he then said quietly so that she couldn't hear "Probably. I don't think I'll be too rough, but mean enough to where she'll be in pain…"

"You can use one of the spikes that her dragon threw at us." Terrance suggested "It would be some poetic justice."

"Honestly, if it were about justice, we'd be locked up and waiting for a trial." Jake replied softly. Sighing, he then said "We'll celebrate the New Year and then I'll make her scream."

"Fair enough." Terrance said, looking up at the black dunes. Flipping the light on, he let the beam of light shine around the sand.

"This turned into more of a mess than I wanted." Jake said, following the light "Kyle wasn't supposed to find out, Astrid sending Stormfly away, the list keeps on going."

"Wait…are you having second thoughts?" Terrance asked, looking at Jake with concern.

"Of course not! I'm just bugged that things haven't really gone according to plan." Jake quickly defended.

Terrance stared at Jake for a minute, not convinced with his reason. Sitting in silence for a few moments, he then said "Its' Kyle huh? That's what's bugging you the most isn't it?"

Jake sighed and whispered "Yeah…with what's already happened, our relationship will never be the same. After all is said and done, I know I'll no longer be that big brother he always looked up too."

Terrance just listened, knowing that Jake and Kyle were always close their lives.

"Now, assuming he doesn't tell our parents, I'll always be an enemy to him. Nothing I do, nothing I say, will mend the rift that's formed between us." Jake continued, feeling a huge wave of sadness wash over him.

"Why wouldn't he tell your parents?" Terrance asked somewhat hesitantly, not sure if it was too personal to ask.

"I don't know. Nothing's keeping him from telling them. I just figured that he would want it to haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Will it?" Terrance followed up with, returning his attention to where the light was shining.

"Of course." Jake said, shrugging. Then smiling, added "But nothing a few million won't fix."

Smiling as well, Terrance just shook his head and kept on scanning the dunes "Same here. If you think it's worth it, then I know it's worth it."

"Hello!" a voice called out, to the left of the camp.

Swinging the light instantly towards the sound of the voice, revealing a lone person standing a top of a dune. Dressed in black and brown armor, he was also wearing a different kind of helmet that was covering his face.

"What? Who's that?" Jake whispered, staring at the person who was waving.

"I was hoping we could talk. Just me and the leader of your little camp." The person shouted, resting one of his hands on his hip.

"Hiccup!?" Astrid shouted, staring at the stranger "Run! They'll capture you too!" Fighting her bonds, she kept on yelling "Leave me! Just go!"

"Hiccup!" Jake yelled, staring at Astrid. Instantly forgetting the conversation he was having with Terrance, he then began to order "Cody, Hayden, stay and guard Astrid. Get the net ready in case Stormfly comes! Terrance, Jesse, and I will go and get this guy! Move!"

Astrid began to scream "Run Hiccup! Get out of here!"

Hiccup then turned and disappeared behind the dune, causing Jake to yell in frustration "Gag her again! I don't want her to warn Stormfly!" Jake ordered, climbing into the Razor. Turning to Terrance, he then said "As soon as we get over that dune, keep that light on him!"

Astrid helplessly watched as Jake fired up the engine and drove after Hiccup, with Hayden closely behind him on a four wheeler. Feeling her head held firmly by Hayden, she watched in horror as Cody limped towards her with the roll of duct tape. "Stay away from here!" She shouted, sending out one last warning just before Cody layered the strips of tape over her mouth. "Grrmmphh!" She yelled into the gag, renewed with energy by the sudden change of events.

"I'll get on the roof, since you can't climb the ladder." Hayden said, gesturing to Cody's leg "Make sure she doesn't get free."

"Not a problem." Cody said, taking a seat on a card table next to Astrid.

Watching Hayden climb up Astrid just stared at him as he disappeared on top, knowing full well he was readying the net in case Stormfly came. Staring at the dune, she watched the Razor and four wheeler disappear over the dune and chasing Hiccup.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is leading up to the climax of the story. After finishing the last chapter, I didn't realize how short of a story this was going to be. Oh well I guess, easier to finish! I realize that I'm pumping out the chapters incredibly fast, but I'm trying to finish this story as I have to swear off Fanfiction till May. I'm trying to further myself in a career and won't have time till then. Well, have a good rest of the day!**


	7. Chapter 7

**03/07/2015: Re-wrote the fight between Jake and Kyle to be a lot less movie like and more realistic with what would happen between two brothers that cared about each other. Thanks to dreaming-about-dragons who helped me get the chapter straightened out.**

* * *

Chapter Seven

Astrid tugged her right arm hard, trying to break out of the tape. If she could get just one arm free, she'd be more than able to handle Cody who was standing guard. Knowing that Hiccup was here made her fret even more. If Jake got him, he'd have easy leverage over both Hiccup and her.

"Quit moving!" Cody shouted, tenderly stepping off of the table he was sitting on. Limping towards her, he kneeled down and pushed her over.

"Mmrrpphh!" Astrid grunted, rolling onto her side. Still trying to twist her wrists out, she felt her shoulder grabbed and forced to lay down on the sand.

"I said quit moving around!" Cody yelled, lifting Astrid's chin with one of Stormfly's spikes "I promise that I won't kill you, but you'll be wishing I had!"

Astrid just glared at Cody, knowing full well that he would hurt her with what Stormfly did to him.

"Good girl…" Cody growled, lowering the spike from her chin "See that you stay that way."

Astrid stared at him as he limped back to the table, desperately wishing she could fight back. Sitting up, she continued to glare at Cody, trying to make him uncomfortable. Then, a shadow emerged from behind Cody as he sat down and continued to watch her. Seeing it silently walk behind him, she saw the shadow swing a shovel across the back of Cody's head. *Thang* the shovel sounded off his head.

"Ooooohhh…" Cody groaned, flying forward and landing hard in the sand.

Astrid stared at Cody as he lay there unconscious, looking up, she let out a cry through her gag "Kkmmllph!?"

Standing behind the table, was Kyle; in his chest protector, helmet, and all. "Astrid!" He said, walking towards her.

"Cody? What's going on?" Hayden called out, looking down from on top of the trailer. Seeing Cody laid out flat and Kyle walking towards Astrid, Hayden shouted "You little piece of-"

Kyle looked up and threw the shovel he held at Hayden's head, missing to the left of him.

"That's it you little prick!" Hayden shouted, standing up. Jumping off the top of the trailer, he landed on Kyle.

Kyle then wrapped his arm around Hayden's waist, pushing with all his strength to push him over. Wrestling with each other, Kyle then shouted "Just let her go!"

"Errghhh, and give up millions? I don't think so!" Hayden grunted, pushing back against Kyle. "You're an idiot not taking Jake up with that deal!" Getting some solid ground under his feet, he then used one hand and punched Kyle in the stomach, just under the chest protector. Gasping, Kyle stopped pushing against Hayden, to which Hayden pushed harder and knocked Kyle on his back into the sand. Dropping his knee onto Kyle's chest, Hayden then tried to punch Kyle in face through the opening of his helmet.

"Kkkmmphh! Mmmff!" Astrid shouted against her gag, staring in horror.

Seeing the fist coming at him, Kyle twisted his head and shifted the helmet and made Hayden's fist smash against the side of it. "Gaarrh!" Hayden shouted, holding his wrist in pain. Kyle then swung his fist and nailed Hayden's ribs, making him to roll off of him in pain. Scrambling to his feet, Kyle then tackled the recovering Hayden head first and into the already bruising ribs, using the helmet as a battering ram. Hayden was gasping for a breath that didn't hurt him, only to get punched in the side of the head, laying him flat out next to Cody.

Kyle sat on his knees for a second, breathing deeply and resting from the fight that he just won. Looking up at Astrid, who was looking relieved, he just whispered "Astrid…"

After resting for a second, he slowly crawled to Astrid, focusing on the strands of tape binding her legs together.

"Lllmmph oumpphh!" Astrid screamed, motioning behind him.

Spinning around, he saw Hayden grabbing a wood cutting axe, leaning against the trailer. Standing up, he then shouted "I'm going to enjoy slicing up your stomach with this!" Standing up, he then rushed Kyle.

Kyle leapt to the side of Hayden, just as he swung the axe down. Rolling with his inertia, Kyle then sprang up onto his feet.

Standing between Astrid and Kyle, Hayden spat at Kyle "I don't think your brother's gonna care what I do to you after what you've done to him, me, and Cody!"

"Listen! It doesn't have to be this way!" Kyle shouted, staring angrily at Hayden. "Let her go!"

"Over my dead body!" Hayden screamed, charging Kyle.

Seeing Hayden run straight at him, Kyle then grabbed something attached to his belt. Sidestepping the blind charge, he then extended a fire blade from the object in his hand. Letting Hayden run past him, Kyle swung his sword at Hayden's hand that gripped the axe. Making contact with the back of his hand, he forced Hayden to drop the axe.

"Gaaggghhhh!" Hayden screamed, holding his bleeding hand.

Not saying anything, Kyle grabbed the dropped axe and swung it full force. Using the backside of the axe, Kyle hit Hayden square in the back of the head. Staring at Hayden who was sprawled over the ground, he then turned to Astrid who stared at him with wide eyes.

Astrid stared as Kyle took off the helmet, to reveal Hiccup's face. "Astrid…" He whispered again, this time running to her. Kneeling down next to her, he slowly peeled the tape off her mouth.

"Hiccup! Oh my gods!" Astrid cried, leaning into him as he hugged her.

"I'm so relieved that you're alive!" Hiccup whispered, squeezing Astrid "I thought I lost everything!"

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried again, smiling for the first time since she was captured "I can't believe it! I thought you wer-" Astrid stopped when she thought of who she saw on the dune. Pulling away from Hiccup, she then asked "Was that Kyle on the hill earlier!?"

Nodding, Hiccup then pulled out his dagger that was attached to his forearm guard. "It was his plan. He figured that most of Jake's guys would come after me and not him." Carefully, he sliced the tape that tied her legs, allowing her to spread them.

"What about him though!? Jake will kill him when he learns I'm gone!" Astrid shouted, spinning around so that Hiccup could cut her arms free.

Slowly, Hiccup made sure his dagger wouldn't clip Astrid when he cut the tape. "That's where we come in! We need to pick him up now! I wasn't expecting a fight like that."

Feeling her hands cut free, Astrid quickly stood up. Ripping the tape off that still clung to her gauntlets and boots, she then asked "So how do we do that? Where's our dragons?"

Smiling, Hiccup whistled. Guiding Astrid from the trailer, he pointed to two dragons gliding towards them. "They were waiting for the signal. Kyle wanted them to wait so they wouldn't get caught."

Smiling, Astrid looked at Hiccup, who in turn looked at her. Then without warning, she smacked him in the shoulder.

"Gah! What was that for!? I just saved you!" Hiccup cried out, rubbing his shoulder.

"That's for taking so long." Astrid grinned. Stepping closer to him, she then grabbed his armor and pulled him in for a kiss. "That's for everything else."

Smiling, Hiccup just shook his head and said "Been awhile since you've done that…I guess I can re-adjust to it."

Taking a good look at him wearing Kyle's riding gear, Astrid then said "That armor doesn't look that bad on you."

Laughing, Hiccup put the helmet back on and replied "Don't get used to it, we're trading as soon as we meet back up.

At that, the two dragons landed next to them, both happy to see Astrid. Toothless was the first to her, letting her scratch his chin. "Hey buddy! It's good to see you!" Stepping to the side, Toothless then let an anxious Stormfly step up to Astrid. Squawking rapidly, Stormfly began to rub against Astrid, thrilled to be reunited with her trainer.

"Hey girl!" Astrid laughed, hugging Stormfly's massive head. "I'm happy to see you too! Boy you're a great sight to see after being tied up for a while!"

Growling, Stormfly continued to rub against Astrid, still happy that she was safe.

"We'll catch up later girl!" Astrid said somberly, moving around her and began to climb on the saddle "Right now, we need to go get Kyle!"

Stormfly squawked, understanding the urgency in Astrid's voice.

Sitting in her saddle, Astrid nodded at Hiccup, saying "Come on! We got to find him!" At that she launched into the air.

Following Astrid, Hiccup then called out "Feel good to be back on a dragon?"

"Not when a friend's life is on the line." Astrid replied bluntly, looking at Hiccup in worry.

"Has he helped you that much?" Hiccup asked, gliding next to Astrid.

Nodding, Astrid said "I'll explain everything after. I'll just say that he had a chance to help his brother get Stormfly and he turned it down. He's helped me from the very beginning when he pulled me out of the sand!"

"Looks like I'm going to have to wait to get the full story!" Hiccup said with a smile, looking at Astrid. After a few seconds of gliding, he then said "I'm so glad you're ok…thank Thor…"

Smiling, Astrid turned to Hiccup and said "Same here. I'm glad you and Toothless are safe too. And Hiccup…"

Hiccup turned to look at Astrid.

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

"Any time Astrid. You know that." Hiccup answered, smiling back at her.

* * *

Kyle dove out of the way as Jesse's four wheeler drove right past him. Scrambling to his feet, he then was blinded by a spot light, causing him to stumble backwards. Turning around, he began to sprint in a completely random direction. Unable to see anything as his eyes tried to adjust from the light, he tripped over his own feet and stumbled onto his knees. Hearing Jake's Razor come closer to him, he then desperately crawled away from the sound of his brothers Razor.

"Hold it right there!" Terrance's voice shouted.

Ignoring the demand, Kyle kept on crawling, trying to stand up. Struggling to do so, he finally felt his feet sit flatly on the loose sand. About to stand up, he felt himself pushed over by someone. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at three silhouettes standing around him.

"Thought you'd get away?" Jake asked with a smile, kneeling down next to Kyle.

"This isn't what I meant about having a chat." Kyle said, trying to mask his voice.

"It's what I meant tho- Hey, wait a second!" Jake said, recognizing the voice. Grabbing the helmet, he ripped it off to reveal Kyle's smiling face. "Kyle!?"

"In the flesh!" Kyle said laughing at Jake's horrified expression.

"But where'd you get this armor?" Jake asked, staring at him in disbelief. Pulling his brother up onto his feet, he then said "What did you do!?"

"I got it from Hiccup. He's probably saved Astrid by now." Kyle said, smiling and knowing that their cover was blown.

"No!" Jake screamed. Turning to Terrance and Jesse, he ordered "Go back to camp! Make sure we still have her!"

Without question, Terrance jumped on the back of Jesse's four wheeler and the two drove off as if the world was ending right behind them.

Watching them disappear, Jake returned his gaze at Kyle. Anger and hate were the only things he was feeling. "Why the hell did you do this to me Kyle!?"

"Asked the guy who kidnapped someone!" Kyle shouted back, his smiling demeanor disappearing. "Why do you think I did this? What you were doing was wrong and you know it! I wasn't just going to watch you destroy someone else's life to further your own! You've let everyone who knew you down Jake! Think about it; me, mom, dad, everyone! The list keeps on going!"

"Shut up!" Jake screamed, driving his fist into Kyle's nose.

Recoiling back in pain, Kyle landed hard on his back. Trying to quell the shock of the blow that he took, he put his hand over his nose. Feeling it get covered in warm liquid, he pulled it away to see that it was covered in blood. "Thanks." He growled "Love you too…brother."

Jake just grabbed Kyle by the armor, pulling him back onto his feet. "The first punch was out of reaction. But this one is on purpose!" With that, he wound up and drove his fist across Kyle's face.

Blood sprayed out of Kyle's mouth and from his nose. Landing a few feet away from Jake, Kyle rolled onto his hands and knees, coughing up some more blood. "So…gonna kill me?" He gasped, trying to get his strength back. "At this point it wouldn't surprise me."

"As much as I want to, I won't." Jake said, finally simmering down a little "But doesn't mean I won't beat you senseless!" At that, he kicked Kyle in the stomach, causing him to drop completely.

"Just being the big brother huh?" Kyle coughed, trying to get back up "Can't stand the fact that your plans were destroyed by your little broski? Or the fact that he's being a better person than you?" Unable to even get on his knees, he rolled over onto his back. He could feel himself go light headed from the blows he took and the blood he was losing. Trying to focus on not blacking out, he added "I'm just the punk of the family. Or the outlaw to be specific."

"Kyle just shut up!" Jake hissed, glaring at Kyle "The hardest part of kidnapping Astrid was knowing I was going to lose your trust." Kneeling down next to his brother, he saw that blood was streaming from his nose and mouth, creating a small pool in the sand next to him. "I still want to be your bigger brother, but since you really hated what I chose to do and won't let me live the life I want to; I'm going to force you to accept who I want to be."

"Jake. You'll always be my bigger brother. Nothing will change that. I'll never forget what we did together." Kyle coughed, wincing in pain. Then, with his careless smile, added "But that's also the problem. I won't forget what you did tonight. I can't forget it." Trying to get up a second time, he continued to say "Honestly, I don't care what you do with your life. But if your choices affect others, you can bet I'm going to stand up for them. Isn't that what you taught me my entire life?"

Jake just glared at his brother. Then, without another question, grabbed Kyle by the armor to help him stand. "I should have taught you to be a little selfish then. Guess I'll start now." With that, he then punched Kyle across the face a second time.

"Gaah!" Kyle shouted, rolling away from the blow. Stumbling, he miraculously stayed on his feet. Wiping the blood off his face, he then whispered "If that's what selfishness is, then I'll pass on the lessons. Punk."

Jake continued to glare at Kyle. Shaking his head, he then grabbed him by the armor and began to drag him to his Razor. "You're coming with me back to camp."

"Like I have a choice…" Kyle whispered, unable to resist Jake dragging him. Spitting some blood out, he then said "How are you going to explain this to mom?"

"I'm not. You are." Jake replied, opening the door to the passenger side.

"Why would you want me to tell her what you've done tonight?" Kyle asked, stumbling as Jake pulled him.

"You think she'll believe you?" Jake replied, opening the passenger door to his Razor "Go ahead and tell her that I completely flipped and kidnapped someone who isn't even from here and tried to get her dragon. You can't prove it and I'll just deny it!" Looking at Kyle in the eye, he then said "You can try to explain the truth, or you could just say that you had an accident riding the dunes."

Before Kyle could counter what he said, a voice shouted from above the two Bryson brothers. "You get away from him!"

Jake looked up in time to see Stormfly promptly land on him. "Arrgghh!" he shouted, feeling himself pinned by the dragon. "Get off of me!" he roared, trying to get out from under Stormfly. Kyle himself fell to the ground as he was pushed away by the sudden arrival of the dragon.

Astrid jumped off of Stormfly, landing next to Jake's head. "This is for tricking me and tying me up!" Astrid shouted, kicking him in the head.

"Ooohh!" Jake groaned, giving up on fighting the dragon that stood on him.

Satisfied with the kick, she then ran where Kyle lay and looked over him. With blood caked with sand on most of his face, she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. Looking up at her, Kyle couldn't help but smile as Astrid helped stand him up, revealing his red stained teeth from spitting out the blood.

"Astrid…" He coughed "Thanks for that, I didn't want to ride with him anyways." Feeling himself picked up and stood on his feet, he then whispered "I can walk myself, it's my face that hurts; not my legs."

"Oh shut up and try to focus on taking one step at a time." Astrid said anxiously, shouldering him as she helped him walk to Stormfly. "If you weren't bleeding, I'd punch you myself for coming up with that stupid plan!"

"It worked didn't it?" Kyle asked, still with his careless smile and spitting more blood out of his mouth.

"Of course it did!" Hiccup interrupted, appearing out of nowhere. Getting under Kyle's other shoulder, he then helped him on the back of Stormfly's saddle. "But I have agree with Astrid. You put yourself in way too much danger for the plan."

"Said the guy who had to run into the gaurded camp where Astrid was." Kyle whispered, focusing on sitting up as straight as he could on Stormfly "Hey Hiccup, sorry for getting blood all over your armor."

"That's what you're worried about? It's not even your fault!" Hiccup said, shaking his head at Kyle's concern. Kneeling down, he picked up his helmet that was ripped off of Kyle. Turning and glaring at Jake, who was moaning from the kick he took, he continued to say "It's his."

"Just ignore him." Kyle said, gripping the back of the saddle "Let's get out of here before his friends come back."

Astrid climbed onto her saddle, careful not to bump Kyle. Making sure that he wouldn't fall off, she then said "Ok Stormfly, nice and easy for Kyle's sake."

Feeling the dragon take off, Kyle leaned against Astrid as he was still a little light headed.

"Where's your camp at?" Astrid asked, scanning the desert below.

"No. Go to the highest dune! That's where Hiccup found me!" Kyle replied, starting to wipe the excess blood off his face. Fortunately, he stopped bleeding from the mouth and his nose was slowing down.

"No!" Astrid shouted, turning to face Kyle "You need some help!"

"Astrid!" Kyle said as loud as he could "I'm just bleeding. Look, it's already stopping!" Then in a more pleading voice, said "Please Astrid. We still need to try and get you guys back home! Otherwise, Jake and his friends are going to keep on coming for you and your dragons! Besides that, I have an idea on how you guys got here!"

Astrid stared at Kyle, then angrily said "Fine!"

"Thanks…" Kyle whispered, smiling at Astrid's anger.

Hiccup, overhearing the conversation, then said "How do you think we got here then?"

"I don't know exactly how or the reasoning behind it, but it has to be something with sandstorms." Kyle began to explain, sitting up in the saddle. "When Astrid showed up, it was during a sandstorm, same thing with you Hiccup."

Nodding, Hiccup then guided Toothless to land on the dune where he was found. Astrid did the same with Stormfly, being a lot slower for Kyle.

Sliding off, Astrid then went to help Kyle down, who ignored her and jumped down himself. Stumbling a little, he regained his footing and said "See? Already getting better."

"Still not convinced." Astrid huffed, glaring at Kyle.

Ignoring Astrid's death glare, Kyle then pulled out his phone flipped open an app. "See this? Sandstorm warning in about 4-5 minutes. The wind's already picking up!"

"Great. So we get to suffocate again." Astrid said sarcastically.

"Not this time. We have our dragons with us now." Hiccup said, smiling at Astrid. Turning to Kyle, he then said "What about you?"

Smiling, Kyle shrugged and said "I'll be fine. My four wheeler is just below this dune. I'm heading to the ranger's station."

"What about Jake?" Astrid asked, worried to leave Kyle alone.

Starting to shed Hiccup's armor, Kyle replied "Why do you think I'm going to the ranger's station? I'm reporting him and his friends for beating me up."

"What about them kidnapping me!?" Astrid cried out.

"How would I prove that?" Kyle asked with a smile. "You'll be gone, hopefully; and even if you weren't, I can't bring you into the report without exposing Stormfly." Stumbling to get the leg armor off, he then said "Just as long as they get in trouble, I don't care about the sentence they get. Jake is already dead to me, as I am to him."

Hiccup too pulled off Kyle's riding gear. Laying it in the sand, he then said "Thank you Kyle. Just from what I've see for myself, and from what Astrid has already said, you've done more for us than we can repay."

"Just get home ok?" Kyle said looking up with his usual careless smile. Handing Hiccup his armor, he then began to put on his riding gear "The wind's already picking up, better be near your dragons in case it comes sooner than later."

Sure enough, the gentle breeze that existed started to get louder and stronger.

"By the way, it's 11:58." Kyle added, glancing at his phone "Almost New Years!"

Astrid then reached for one of the skull decorations on her leather skirt. Pulling off, she then handed it to Kyle. "Here. Just something to remember us by."

Carefully taking it, Kyle just shook his head and smiled at the gift. "Only if you take this." Kyle replied, reaching down and grabbing his helmet. Handing it to Astrid, he then said "I can get a new one, and it'll sell my story even more that Jake and his friends beat me up. You know, other than the swelling on my face and dried blood."

Shaking their heads at the joke, Hiccup and Astrid stood next to their dragons, waiting for the sandstorm to hit.

"Good-bye girl." Kyle said, waving to Stormfly "Make sure Astrid doesn't get into any more trouble!"

"Thanks Kyle." Astrid replied, visibly relaxing at the thought they were potentially getting home.

About to reply, Kyle heard something in the distance. Getting louder, he couldn't help but turn around to see a pair of headlights round a dune and driving straight for him.

"No…" he whispered, knowing exactly who it was.

Nearing where they were. The headlights stopped and parked about 20 yards away from the group. Climbing out of the Razor, Jake stared at them with fire burning in his eyes. Landing in the sand, he covered his face as the wind gusted and threw sand everywhere. Kyle himself tried to shelter his face.

"It's over Jake!" Kyle shouted, staring at Jake who was walking towards them.

"Only if you stop me!" Jake yelled back. With that said, he then ran to charge them, blinded by his rage and the sand.

* * *

**Well, there ya go! I was able to break this scene into two chapters, so you have one more to look forward to reading! I'll be on spring break this week and it's right before I legitimately have to swear off writing and stories until sometime May. Some people were confused, so I'll clarify it a little. I'm having to stop writing, but I still plan on reading. This is just temporary and shouldn't be any longer than May. I'll read and review stories that are being written, so I won't disappear from the face of the earth. Anyways, enjoy the rest of the day/weekend!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Watching Jake charge them, Toothless jumped in front of Hiccup and Astrid, growling at Jake. Stormfly also stepped up, but sticking closer to Astrid.

Stopping, Jake glared at the dragons.

"Like I said Jake, it's over!" Kyle shouted, trying to be heard over the wind that was getting a lot stronger. "Not only will their dragons stop you, but I'm not going to get blindsided by you again." Stepping in between the dragons and Jake, he raised his fists in preparation to receive Jake.

"You're an idiot to try and fight me Kyle." Jake yelled, now walking to Kyle "How much blood did you lose when I pounded you last time?"

"Not enough to keep me down." Kyle replied, not moving. "Don't think I'm doing this to protect Astrid and Hiccup! They don't need it. I'm doing this to protect you!"

"Oh look at you so caring!" Jake spat, now only feet away from Kyle. Stopping a second time, he then said "If you cared about me earlier, then you would have helped me get Stormfly!"

Stormfly hissed at the comment, raising her wings in a defensive manner.

"Dude! You got it all wrong! It's because I care about you I helped Astrid escape!" Kyle shouted. The wind at this point was blowing the sand hard enough where Kyle covered his mouth his hand and coughed.

Jake himself was trying to protect himself from the torrent of sand. Seeing Kyle staggering for a second, and the dragons moving to protect their riders, Jake then made a mad dash for them.

"Jake! No!" Kyle shouted, reaching out to try and grab him; only to get his face whipped by the sand howling around them.

Toothless saw Jake come at them. Turning, he then roared and fired a plasma blast at him.

"Toothless! No!" Hiccup tried to shout, only to inhale a mouthful of sand.

Jake saw the brilliant blue flash, falling over just as it passed by him. The blast then collided into Jake's Razor, causing it to erupt and explode into a bright orange fireball.

Squinting his eyes, Jake stared in horror as he watched his $20,000 ride burn away. Realizing that he was struggling to breathe, he pulled up his shirt and began to inhale through it. Trying to take in what just happened, he screamed into his shirt out of anger and shock.

Kyle didn't see what happened, being kneeled down and breathing through his shirt; he only heard an explosion. "Jake!" He screamed into the wind, fearing that he saw Jake alive for the last time. Breathing into his riding shirt, he tried to listen for Jake to say something but could only hear the wind roaring. Squeezing his eyes shut, he prayed that Jake wasn't killed.

After what felt like an eternity, the wind died down and the sand stopped being blown into his face. Opening his eyes, Kyle instinctively looked for his brother. The burning Razor quickly caught his attention. "What happened?" He whispered, staring at the sight. The only thing that pulled his view away from the inferno was a sudden movement to his left. Spinning around, he breathed out a sigh of relief and horror as he saw Jake run up the hill. About to break into a sprint to chase him, he stopped himself as he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. He saw nothing.

On top of the dune where Hiccup and Astrid were with their dragons, there was no one there. They were gone! "I was right!" Kyle whispered with a smile "It was the sandstorms!" Smiling, he began to walk towards where they were formerly standing. They were gone and home. Hopefully.

Jake himself was staring at where Hiccup and Astrid were standing. Shaking his head, he dropped to his knees and whispered "I was so close…I had a dragon! I had it in my grasp…" Hearing someone stumbling behind him, Jake turned and glared at Kyle who promptly stopped.

Staring at each other, the silence between the two was shattered by a series of sudden pops and bangs. Glancing down the dunes, they saw a multitude of fireworks explode in the air below them.

Turning to Jake, Kyle then said with some venom in his voice "Happy New Year Jake."

Turning to Kyle, Jake glared at him with fire burning in his eyes. "You…I hate you! You never were my brother!"

Kyle felt his pulse quicken when he heard Jake say that. He knew that Jake wasn't going to hold any restraint when the inevitable fight happened.

Screaming with anger in his voice, Jake charged Kyle who was ready to receive him this time. Just as Jake leapt in the air to tackle him, Kyle ducked and grabbed Jake from underneath; flipping over onto his back. After Jake landed hard on the sand, Kyle leapt on top of him that caused the two of them to roll down the dune. Throwing as many punches as he could, Kyle felt one solid hit in Jake's ribs.

"Grrrhhhh!" Jake growled, wincing in pain. Focusing, he then kneed Kyle in the stomach to force him off. Separated, the two stopped half way down the dune.

Kyle was the first to get to his feet. Spurred on by the adrenaline inside him. Ignoring his fatigue, he ran and kicked Jake in the side sending him rolling. "Jake! This is insane!" He yelled, staring at his brother "This is just consuming you more and more!"

"Shut up!" Jake screamed, getting up onto his knees "You're the last person in the entire world that I want to take lectures from!"

Kyle just stared at him, not even sure what to say anymore. In a fight, Jake would be more than able to beat him; mainly because he was essentially a trained police officer, which he didn't want to fight if he could help it. Desperately, he then said "So I really mean nothing to you anymore? You held back last time you were raining blows on me!"

"That was when I still had a chance at getting a dragon!" Jake yelled, facing Kyle "Now what do I have to lose?"

Kyle just shook his head as he watched his brother literately lose himself. "I don't know, your career, respect, maybe even me? Did the thought of money really replace all that?"

"Dammit Kyle!" Jake screamed "It wasn't just about money! I would have been in the history books! I would have been forever known as the person who found a dragon! I would have had more effect on the world than I ever would have done if I was a police officer!"

"But you didn't find a dragon Jake! She wasn't yours!" Kyle shouted back, frustrated at his brother "You were trying to take her!" Fuming for a second, he then added "And you know what? It wasn't the fact that you wanted Stormfly that bugged me; it was the fact that you manipulated and kidnapped Astrid! What happened to the guy I knew that was ready to protect and serve?"

"He sailed away when a new opportunity came." Jake growled, his eyes narrowing. "Now I know what I'm going to be doing the rest of my life."

Almost too scared to ask, Kyle whispered "And that is…?"

"I'm not telling. Mainly because you'll just get in the way, but also the reason that I don't want you to know what I'm doing. You don't care anymore."

"That's a bunch of bullsh-" Kyle began to say, only to be interrupted by Jake roaring and charging him.

Seeing him charge, Kyle quickly raised his fists. Just as Jake swung to his fist down on him, Kyle then launched his fist forward to jab at Jake's chest. Making contact in the center of Jake's chest, which sent him away; he also felt Jake's fist punch his shoulder as he flew by, causing him to spin around. Regaining his balance, Kyle squared up to Jake who was already back on his feet.

"Jake this is insane!" Kyle shouted, backing away from Jake to give him more room to prepare for him. "Just take a second to think of what you're doing!"

"If we were talking about being reasonable, then you should have helped me get Stormfly." Jake growled, glaring at Kyle "Could have earned a easy couple million, but no…you went and helped someone that no one knew about or would know about. After all that, you call me insane!?"

Jake then charged Kyle a second time, this time remembering his training. Aiming for Kyle's legs, he leapt straight for him.

Sidestepping just a moment too slow, Kyle felt Jake grab one of his legs. "Gaah! Get off!" Falling to the ground, Kyle swung a fist at Jake's head and made contact.

Shaking off the blow, Jake then quickly rolled his body around Kyle, pinning him in the sand. Grabbing his left arm, he then forced it behind his back.

Kyle instinctively stopped trying to stand up, allowing himself to drop onto the sand and to pull Jake off balance. Feeling Jake land on top of him, he reached with his right arm and wrapped around the back of his neck. Able to give himself some leverage, he then rolled himself up and over Jake, forcing him to let go of his arm.

"Gah! Hold still!" Jake growled, trying to gain the advantage again.

"Why? Is that what you practiced on in the academy?" Kyle quickly shot at him, using every bit of strength he had to pin Jake down on the sand.

"No." Jake grunted, pulling his legs to his chest "They taught me this!" At that, Jake's legs acted as a spring, launching both him and Kyle forward.

Rolling in the air, Kyle felt himself land on his back on the sand. Feeling Jake's weight crash on top of him, he felt the wind get knocked out of him. Gasping for a breath, he felt Jake slip out of whatever grip he had him in. Forcing himself to roll to his side, he began to stand up. Getting up on his feet, he felt Jake grab his right arm and twist it behind his back, causing him to roar in pain and Jake lifted it slightly.

"I learned this move on my own though." Jake whispered into Kyle's ear. At that, he then kicked behind Kyle's knee and lifted on the arm he held behind the back.

Kyle could only hear what happened, as his body went into shock. As his body fell down, and as Jake lifted his arm, he heard an incredibly loud pop. Falling onto the sand without any fight left in him, he groaned as he tried to figure out what happened. "What did you do!?" He cried, gripping his right arm with his left hand "I can't move it!"

"Your shoulder's dislocated. Clear up to the socket" Jake said, staring at Kyle as he lay on the ground "Try to fight back, I dare you." At that he dropped his knee onto Kyle's chest.

"Gaahh!" Kyle gasped. Chest protector or not, Jake landing that hard forced the air out of his lungs.

Wrapping his hands around Kyle's neck, he began to choke him. "You took everything from me!" He screamed "I sacrificed everything to try and get that dragon, and you had to help them escape!"

Kyle tried to fight Jake off with his left arm, but to no avail. Not only was Jake bigger than him, but he was in a position that would require two functioning hands to get off.

"How do you feel about your choice to be the 'good' guy? You lost Kyle!" Jake screamed, putting more pressure on Kyle's neck.

Gasping, Kyle's vision began to blur. Looking straight into Jake's face, he then coughed out "Worth it…to not be…Gaaahh…to not be…like you…huuhhh…brother!" then, with the fireworks still sounding off in the background, slowly slipped into the dark, dreamless sleep of death.

* * *

As soon as the sand stopped whipping around them, Astrid quickly ran out from the cover of Stormfly's wings. Expecting to see a massive fire and Jake running at them, she was shocked to see that she was staring at the ocean.

"What…?" she whispered, looking around "Did we…did we get home?"

"I can't believe it!" Hiccup's voice shouted from behind her.

Turning, she then saw him crawl out from under Toothless' wings with a wide smile on his face "We made it home! Kyle was right!" Facing Astrid, he then said "We're home!"

Relaxing at the comment, Astrid then smiled at seeing Hiccup's ecstatic face. "We actually made it home!" She said, turning to the ocean and flopping down on the sand. Letting herself absorb the relief, she couldn't help but look up at the bright moon that was shining down on them.

"How about we don't have any more adventures like that for a while huh?" Hiccup said, taking a seat next to her. "That way I won't have to have another heart attack at the thought of losing you."

"Mmmm….no promises." Astrid teased, leaning against Hiccup. Using her hand, she then reached up and pulled his face closer to hers, kissing him. "But I will try."

Smiling at what just took place, Hiccup then looked out at the ocean. "At least we get to spend the night with each other."

"Should give me enough time to explain a little bit of what happened." Astrid said, getting comfy as she kept on leaning against Hiccup.

"How did you meet Kyle?" Hiccup asked, realizing he still had a few questions.

Astrid's head shot up. "Kyle!" She shouted. Turning to Hiccup, she then said "We left Kyle with Jake!"

Hiccup's face had a different expression. Though worried like Astrid's, he looked calm and relaxed at the news flash. "I know. But what are we going to do? We can't go back unless we sit through another sand storm; and even then, what would we do to get them separated long enough so Kyle could do what he needed?"

Though Hiccup was speaking the truth, Astrid couldn't help but still fret over him. "I hope he's ok. He did save me after all."

Nodding, Hiccup wrapped his arm around her and held her close.

Astrid then whistled to Stormfly, who came walking up to her. Reaching up for Kyle's helmet that she strapped to her saddle, she then pulled it down and set it in her lap. "I really hope he's ok." Astrid whispered again, staring at the black and green helmet, she then turned it over to reveal the custom Outlaw decals on the side of it.

"There a story behind that?" Hiccup asked, looking at the helmet also.

Nodding, she explained "Yeah, ironically the reason why he's such a good guy. He didn't want to be stapled with what it means and always tried to be helpful to others. Whatever they needed and whoever they were."

"Explains a lot actually." Hiccup said, staring at the words "I wish we could help him. It doesn't seem fair honestly."

"No…no it doesn't" Astrid whispered softly.

Looking up at the ocean, Hiccup then thought of something. Standing up from where they were sitting, he then said "How about this…we rename this place after him. It doesn't do much for him right now, but at least we can do something to honor him."

Smiling, Astrid also stood up. "I like that…what're you thinking then?"

Gesturing to the helmet in her hands, he said "Outlaw's Dunes. You knew him best, what do you think?" At that, he knelt down and began to pull out the map in the moonlight.

"You know…I think he would like that. Especially if we explain why." Astrid said, smiling as she looked out to the infinite dunes behind her.

"Here. I think you should be the one to change the name." Hiccup said, extending the pencil to Astrid "I didn't know him that well to give it the honor it deserves."

Smiling, Astrid took the pencil and knelt down next to the map. "Don't kid yourself Hiccup. Both of you worked together to come up with the plan to save me." Crossing out the 'Careless Beach' on the map, she then smiled as she began to write 'Outlaw's Dunes'. "There. At least I feel a little better about leaving him there." she said, looking up from the map "Can we come back here next year? The same time? Just to give him some respects."

"If you want to risk going back to where we came from, sure." Hiccup said with smile. Then, looking at her, added "Listen, I know you're exhausted, but how 'bout we go home. I can take the next day off and we can just relax at the cove. Just me and you, with no worries about a sand storm."

"I'd like that." Astrid said, standing up. Motioning for Stormfly to get near, she then said "Thank you Hiccup. Thanks you."

"Any time Astrid. You know you just need to ask me." Hiccup said with a smile, letting Toothless walk next to him. Climbing on, he then said "Who knows. Maybe Alvin or Dagur will decide to invade us tomorrow. Just to welcome you back!"

"I'll be more than ready for them!" Astrid laughed, setting herself in her saddle. With that, she smiled at Hiccup and launched into the air.

Laughing, Hiccup also followed her, unaware of what had happened to Kyle.

* * *

"Alright load 'em up! This kid needs to get to a hospital fast!" A voice thundered in Kyle's mind.

Confused, Kyle slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurred, as he could see multiple objects walking around. Blue and red lights were flashing in the back ground as well. He could hear a thumping sound, something that sounded familiar, but he couldn't really think of what it was.

"Whoa whoa! Hold on! He's waking up!" A voice shouted from his right side.

Closing his eyes, he tried to shake away the blurred vision, only to be rewarded with a massive headache that made his brain feel like it was bouncing around in his skull. Groaning, he then opened his eyes again to see that everything was getting clearer.

"Hey kid, you alright?" A voice sound to the right of him.

With a dazed look, Kyle turned to see the ranger that checked on him earlier that night when he first saw Stormfly. Relaxing at seeing a familiar face, he went to move his right arm only to feel a sharp pain rivet through it.

"Don't move it." The ranger said gently, resting his hand on Kyle "It was popped out of its socket. It's going to pretty painful for a few weeks."

"Sure…thanks." Kyle whispered, resting in whatever he was lying in. Taking a good look around, Kyle saw that he was strapped into a stretcher, one of the portable kinds. Around him were four other dune buggies and trucks with the ranger symbol on the sides.

"What happened?" Kyle asked, groaning as his headache seemed to worsen.

"Just sit still and relax." The ranger said, making sure Kyle was secured in the stretcher "We're airlifting you outa here."

Hearing the thumping get louder, Kyle turned to see a helicopter begin to land a good hundred meters away. Turning back to the ranger, he then asked "Can you please tell me what happened?"

Sighing, the ranger then began to explain "Well…at the turn of the New Year, we saw an explosion up here. Learned that it was your friend's ride. By the time we got up here, we found him on trying to kill you. By the time we pulled him off of you, you were already unconscious. Had to use CPR to get you breathing again."

Remembering seeing Jake's anger fueled face, Kyle began to nod. He was save by mere chance and luck. Then looking up at the ranger, asked "Got a mirror? I wanna see what my face looks like real quick."

"Here. This is your phone." The ranger said, handing it to Kyle "Use the camera. I'm going to get someone to help carry you to the Helicopter.

Nodding, Kyle fumbled with the phone to get the camera up with his left hand, as his right arm was in a sling. Looking into the screen he saw that his entire left side of the face was covered in blood with sand caked in. His left eye was almost swollen shut completely, as was his eye was black from some of the punches he took. He had a nasty cut on his lip, which explained the bleeding from the mouth. His neck was bruised form when Jake was strangling him.

"Well…I've had worse I guess." Kyle groaned to himself, setting the phone down into his lap. Looking up, he saw someone that took his breath away. It was Jake, handcuffed and leaning against a truck. Staring at him, Kyle finally made eye contact.

For a second, the world went silent as the two brothers stared at each other. Then, without any emotion, Jake began to shake his head at him.

Kyle didn't feel anger, or hate. He wasn't even frustrated! He was sad. Crushed with what his brother did.

As the world seemed to resume around them, Kyle felt the stretcher be lifted up and walked towards the helicopter. Losing sight of Jake, Kyle then relaxed and began to put his phone in his pocket. Feeling it hit against something, he then felt around his pocket and pulled out Astrid's gift. The skull decoration. Staring at it for a few moments, he never felt himself lifted into the helicopter. Being pushed down gently, he looked up at the paramedics that were staring at him.

"Hold on kid, we're getting you out of here." One of them said, cutting open his shirt to begin to place sensors and other monitoring equipment. Apparently, his other riding gear was taken off of him when he was placed in the stretcher.

Nodding, Kyle took one last look at the skull and then set it back in his pocket.

Relaxing completely, he couldn't help but smile as the helicopter began to take off.

Even though he lost his brother, he knew he made the right decision. He helped Astrid and Hiccup with their dragons. Even though there wouldn't be a fanfare, or celebration for his kind act; he knew it was the right thing and that was enough for him. He really was the person he always wanted to be. With his careless smile growing on his face, he then looked up at the paramedics and said "Just an FYI, I'm allergic to something."

"That's good to know. What is it?" The lead paramedic asked, prepping some drugs to give to Kyle.

Slightly chuckling, out of pain and humor, said "Surgery."

The paramedics looked up at Kyle who was grinning from ear to ear, closing his eyes and finally resting his head down.

Laughing at the joke, one of the paramedics said "We'll do what we can."

"Thanks." Kyle said, still chuckling at his joke. With his eyes closed, he just reflected on what happened. "Well…That's the greatest story that no one will hear." He thought to himself. At that, he let himself slowly drift into a sleep. A sleep that his body welcomed.

* * *

**Well, there ya go. Finished the first story in this new series. I know for a fact that I'll be doing at least one sequel for it, but that won't happen for a bit. I'm going to try and focus on longer stories that actually tell something. Like my first story that's like in the some-teen chapters and has multiple scenarios. Again, this won't happen until at least May, and at most June. Have a great few months and keep on writing!**

**-Dustnblood**


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